Three Days to Say I Love You
by Angela Jewell
Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life. But at what cost...?
1. Jusendou

**Three Days to Say I Love You  
**By: Angela Jewell  
_Revised: October 3, 2006_

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life. But at what cost...?

The formatting is much better at my website, so I would encourage people to read it there, rather than here. I can never seem to get the formatting to turn out right after uploading... :(

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately) and am merely borrowing them for this story.

And remember:  
Reviews motivation to write

* * *

**Chapter 1**  
Jusendou

* * *

Akane had no delusions about death. Her mother was dead, after all. So when she finally opened her eyes to find herself completely surrounded in darkness, she couldn't say she was exactly surprised. There was nothing warm, comforting, or glorious about passing away; the afterlife was cold, and dark, just like she had imagined it. 

But what came next...?

She had seen things as a martial artist, things which defied explanation—ghosts, demons, spirits—she couldn't discount everything she'd experienced while she was alive. But how did those creatures come to be? And where were they now?

Or, she thought with a shudder, was this empty, silent, blackness, all there truly was?

Either way, Akane couldn't say she was particularly pleased with her situation. After all, an imminent death hadn't been her motivating factor when she'd grabbed a hold of that dragon-tap.

All she had cared about at the time was saving Ranma.

_Ranma_.

At the thought of her fiancée, Akane's heart fell. He must be furious at her right now—not that she could blame him. She'd be angry too, if he just up and died on her. But in her own defense, how could she have know what was going to happen? The water tap didn't exactly come with instructions.

The more Akane thought about Ranma, the more her mind began to wander toward his various other fiancés. How would Ukyo and Shampoo take her death, she wondered? Would they be relieved that their main obstacle to Ranma was finally out of the way? Or would they actually be sad to see her gone?

Akane almost laughed at the thought. Oh, who was she kidding? Shampoo was probably beyond ecstatic, and Ukyo—Ranma's dear, cute, childhood friend—was most likely picking out wedding invitations this very minute. Akane bristled at the thought.

Well, not if she could help it, she thought fiercely.

Just because she had no delusions about death, didn't mean she was going to just sit here idly and _take_ it!

Gathering what courage she could muster, Akane opened her mouth and yelled as loud as she could: "Is anyone out there!"

At least, she _tried_ to yell.

_only,__ no sound came out..._

Akane's eyes widened in fear; she could already feel the beginning stirs of panic welling up from deep within. If she couldn't even talk, then how could she—

She quickly cut off that train of thought, afraid to know the answer. Instead, she gathered her strength as she tried to sit up—only to find that that too, was impossible. Her entire body was frozen in place.

She felt weightless—as if she were floating.

_Now_ she could feel the panic beginning to rise.

...Ranma, she thought. Where are you?

"Calm down, girl," a voice in the darkness suddenly ordered. Akane, somehow, found the strength to look up; and when she did, she drew in a deep breath.

There, walking towards her, was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

Long, black hair floated around the woman and seemed to mingle with the surrounding darkness; a sharp contrast to her skin, which was pale and white like ivory. Her eyes were large, and gray, and although not particularly gentle, gave off an air of knowledge which seemed far beyond her years. The blackness itself parted before her as the woman approached, illuminating her in a blinding white glow.

At last, the woman stood proudly before Akane, her silken gown trailing along the floor at her feet. The only thing that marred her perfect complexion was the cold, calculating expression she wore on her face. Although the woman was beautiful, it was a cold beauty.

But even so, Akane stared, mesmerized. Who is she, she wondered?

"That's better," said the woman. She was staring at her with eyes of gray steel, and upon closer inspection, Akane noticed that she had two small horns on the top of her head.

_Horns...!_?

Fascination quickly turned to suspicion as she observed the woman through narrowed, wary eyes. More importantly, she thought, _what_ is she? A thousand possibilities ran through her mind: could she be a demon? A Yurei? An Ogre? A Hannya?

The woman smiled knowingly at that last thought.

Akane stared at her in surprise. She couldn't be... could she? After all, a Hannya was a jealous, ugly creature; not what was standing before her.

Again, she met the creature's eyes. And this time, the 'woman' winked.

That was all the proof Akane needed. "You—you're a—"

She stopped in surprise, realizing she had spoken aloud.

The Oni smiled.

"You're very perceptive," she replied with a laugh. "Of course, I'd expect nothing less from someone of your power."

Akane wasn't sure what power the demon was referring to, and at the moment she didn't necessarily care. "What could a Hannya possibly want with me?" she demanded, getting right to the point.

The Oni shook her head softly, its hair floating out around her. "Nothing," she said simply, still smiling. "I'm just here to help."

Akane looked at her suspiciously. No matter how innocent or good natured the Hannya may appear to be, she knew better than to blindly trust an Oni. And yet... there was another, more insistent part of her that was desperate enough to try just about anything to get out of here.

"Okay then," she said slowly, "send me back."

The Hannya laughed, placing a demure hand over her mouth. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, child," she said, smiling again. "You see, normally, you only have two options when you reach this place. One," she explained, motioning to the surrounding darkness. "You stay right here; forever. Or, you can choose to pass on."

Akane frowned, not liking either option.

"Of course," the Oni continued, shrugging indifferently. "I may be able to offer you some sort of alternative if those choices are both unappealing to you."

"An alternative...?" Akane held her breath, afraid to hope. "What kind of alternative?" she asked.

The Oni stepped closer to Akane, so close she could have reached out and touched her. "I can send you back to your world," she said, a strange light filling her eyes. "But," she added quietly, a hint of regret in her voice. "I must know one thing first."

Akane frowned, wondering what could be so important. "And that is...?" she asked at last.

"Your fiancée," the woman said, "do you love him?"

Akane could feel her entire face reddening as a blush spread throughout the length of her body. Whatever question she had been expecting, it _definitely_ wasn't that!

"Ranma?" she asked in disbelief. "What does he have to do with anything?"

The Hannya exhaled deeply, and her eyes seemed to grow angry—but only for a moment. As quickly as the anger had appeared, it vanished. "He has everything to do with it," she said simply. Akane waited, expecting her to go on.

The Oni, however, remained silent.

Realizing that the Hannya had no intention of elaborating, Akane looked down at the floor, still blushing. She knew she should hurry up and deny it—after all, it was her standard response when faced with such a question—but for some reason, the words refused to come.

The truth was... she _didn't_ hate Ranma.

True, her fiancée could be insensitive, thoughtless, and rude; but she knew she could always depend on him whenever she needed him (current situation excluded) and she _hoped_ he felt the same way about her. But love? She shook her head, uncomfortable with the weight of such a term.

Nervously, she turned her troubled eyes on the Hannya's, unsure how to respond to her question.

And then she froze.

Although the Oni herself hadn't changed, there was something strange about her eyes—something she couldn't quite explain. There was calmness there, reassurance; and for a moment she could have sworn she saw something deep within those dark gray orbs beckoning her, calling.

And no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

"It's alright, child," the woman spoke soothingly, her voice soft, yet firm.

The Oni's eyes remained locked firmly on hers, and she could feel herself being sucked further into their depths. That's when she realized, with surprising clarity, that the Oni's words had not been spoken aloud.

She felt it seconds later; an unfamiliar presence weaving its way throughout her mind, scanning the private recesses of her thoughts.

Akane knew instinctively that it was the Oni.

This time she wasn't surprised when the voice came to her. "Remain calm, Akane, and don't try to fight me," the Hannya instructed, her voice hard and commanding. "It'll be over shortly."

And then, before she even realized what was happening, Akane felt her defensive walls crumbling one after another under the cold, destructive power of the Hannya. It didn't take long for the last wall to fall and for her defenses to be completely gone. Suddenly, she felt naked and vulnerable. And very, very angry.

How dare she! she thought, incensed!

Akane shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind of its haziness. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her eyes refused to leave those of the Hannya. She could feel the Oni even now, searching her mind, looking for any memory, any feeling, that contained her wayward fiancée.

Hundreds of images rose before her, unbidden: Ranma laughing, Ranma smiling, Ranma calling her cute.

Ranma saving her...

...He always had to save her...

Just as quickly, the Hannya was moving on, searching for memories of Ranma's other fiancées...

Akane felt the familiar pang of jealousy as she was forced to watch her fiancée interact with each of them in turn: Shampoo kissing and hugging him; Ranma sticking up for Ukyo; Ranma happily eating Kodachi's cookies.

Akane could feel herself growing angrier as each memory assailed her...

...She could _feel_ the Oni smiling.

"Jealousy is nothing to fear, Akane," the Hannya explained conspiratorially. "It's only proof that you feel--that you care. It's simply another form of love."

Akane watched as more images of Ranma flashed through her mind: Ranma, jealous of Do-chan; Ranma, fighting against Shinnosuke; Ranma, yelling at her for being nice to Ryoga.

...Ranma telling her he just wants her to be happy.

If what the Hannya said was true, did that mean Ranma loved her after all?

Before she had time to dwell on the question, the Oni was moving on; but now she was focusing more on the emotions _behind_ the memories. Akane began to grow warm as she remembered how happy and relieved she had been when Ranma returned home from fighting Herb; how content she felt while sitting on his lap after he defeated her battle dogi.

...And how happy she was when Ranma held her hand in Ryugenzawa.

Akane smiled softly at the memories.

It was like a blanket had been lifted; freeing all of the thoughts and feelings she had always needed to guard—against Ranma, against her family, against his fiancées. And now, this wonderful, warm, and powerful feeling was completely surrounding her.

I love Ranma, she thought with wonder, all of her previous doubts gone. I love my stupid, jerk of a fiancée.

At this realization, Akane felt her connection with the Hannya break. She looked at the Oni again, this time with clear, focused eyes, and was relieved to see she was smiling.

"Now I can help you," the Hannya replied.

* * *

End of Chapter 1

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

If you couldn't tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma's trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely...

I tried to do some research on Hannya's, really I did. Unfortunately, my library only had a few books, and in both, they were mentioned very briefly; a paragraph at most. And the Internet was surprisingly low on information as well—and a lot of what I _did_ find was contradictory. So basically, I decided to just keep what I liked and make up the rest. Not much is known about them anyway, so I doubt anyone will really care. But to sum it up: they are the female version of an Oni...

Also, this story is based completely off the manga. If I refer to any events or moments that you've never heard of, then feel free to go to my website and read the _MANGA MOMENTS_ section. Most of those scenes are there, and hopefully they can clear up any confusion you may have had.

Anyway, I really hope you're enjoying this story so far. I promise, Ranma will make an appearance in the following chapter, so don't worry!

**Website and Email:**

Please check out my profile in order to find the links.


	2. The Bargain

**Three Days to Say I Love You**  
  
By: Angela Jewell  
  
Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

_Revised_: July 3rd, 2004.

For the record: The formatting for this is much better at my website... For some reason, I can never get my chapters to look good when I post them here. :(

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you'll lose and still be broke... ****

**funvince**: Thanks for bringing it to my attention about the lack of rules. I actually did have more than the ones listed, (including not being able to tell anyone), but when I remembered to add them it was during the quick-edit process in Fanfiction.net. And since the formatting was so messed up on that version, I ended up deleting it, and completely forgot to add those changes to the next version I uploaded. I've made the corrections now, though, so thanks for bringing it up.

And thank you to everyone else who reviewed too! Reviews really do give me the motivation I need to write more... so they really are appreciated. And don't be afraid to criticize! I know that none of my stories are perfect, so any suggestions or comments are greatly welcomed. ;)

* * *

**Chapter 2**  
The Bargain

* * *

The Hannya regarded Akane through narrowed eyes, her expression cold and calculating. All signs of any warmth had long since disappeared, and Akane found herself growing uncomfortable under the heat of her gaze. To her, the Oni had never looked more like a demon.  
  
"So, you said you could help me?" Akane asked softly, getting right to the point. Her head was still reeling from the affects of having her memory invaded, but oddly enough, her mind was completely open—it felt like she had never thought clearer.  
  
A small smile formed on the Hannya's face as she nodded. "I said I can help you—but whether or not I do is up to you."  
  
Akane frowned. She should have known the Oni wasn't going to make this easy. "Well then," she began tersely, "what can you do?"  
  
The Hannya's smile faded as her expression became serious. "I can send you back to your life," she said slowly, carefully. "But there is a catch. There are consequences, you see, and there are rules."  
  
Akane nodded. She had lived with Nabiki long enough to realize that everything came with a price. "What kind of rules?" she asked uneasily.  
  
"Well, it's more of a little bargain, really," the Hannya explained, as she slowly began to move closer. "I send you back on one condition, and if you are unable to fulfill the... terms... of our agreement," the Oni paused to smile down at her. "Then you belong to me."  
  
Akane swallowed nervously. There was a predatory look in the Oni's eyes that frightened her—like a wolf stalking its prey. "What do you want from me?" she asked, suddenly afraid of the woman standing before her.  
  
The Hannya took a step back. "You have, shall we say, a power that I crave," she replied lightly. "If there is any chance that I can obtain that power, then of course I am willing to help you."  
  
Akane looked at her strangely. "Power?" she asked in confusion. "But I don't have any powers."  
  
The Oni smiled. "Not all powers can be seen, Akane."  
  
That made sense. Happosai and Cologne weren't much to look at, she reminded herself, and yet, both of them held powers that others could hardly dream of.  
  
Akane looked up at the Hannya, her expression serious and confident. "And what happens if I manage to fulfill the agreement?" she asked.  
  
The Oni pouted, frowning. "Our deal would be complete. You'd stay right where you are, happy and alive."  
  
Akane's voice shook. "And if I lose?" she asked softly.  
  
The Hannya simply smiled.  
  
Well, that settles it, Akane thought. No matter what happens, she commanded herself, don't lose. With strength she didn't know she possessed, Akane gathered up the courage to ask the one question she'd been fearing all along.  
  
"What would I have to do?"  
  
The Hannya's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and Akane felt her fear returning. "There is something you must understand first," the Oni said, as she grabbed a handful of her silken gown and clutched it tightly in her palm. "I am a Hannya, Akane," she explained. "First and foremost, it is crucial that you understand this." She sighed, seemingly lost in thought, and then angrily dropped the silk at her side. "Because of that, the only power I possess is the power to reunite forsaken lovers—or condemn them."  
  
Akane blushed. "Forsaken lovers?" she asked, embarrassed. "But I'm not— I mean, Ranma and I, we're not—"  
  
The Hannya stopped her words with a cold stare. "You were torn from him," she said angrily. "It matters not how. All that matters is that I have the power to reunite you for a short time. Whether or not that time is lengthened, however, depends on him."  
  
Akane's eyes widened. "On him?" she asked incredulously. "But... but I still don't understand. What does Ranma have to do with any of this?"  
  
The Oni grinned, her teeth bared. "Like I said," she replied icily. "Everything depends on him. Whether or not you win, whether or not I win. He, my dear, is the key."  
  
Akane looked at her angrily. "Why?" she demanded impatiently. "How?"  
  
The Hannya stared at her through eyes of gray steel as she lowered her voice. "He has to say he loves you within three days," she explained. "If he succeeds, you win—but if he doesn't—" her voice trailed off.  
  
Akane stood in shock, unsure how to react. Ranma? Say he loves me? Akane felt all hope fade away. There was no way! Even she hadn't been able to admit it until her mind was invaded by the Oni—the idea of Ranma saying it was just ludicrous. And in three days! The stubborn jerk would die before saying something like that.  
  
"You love him," said the Oni, sensing her predicament. "That should be all the incentive you need."  
  
"Yes. I love him," she replied angrily. "But I have no idea how he feels about me." Pausing, Akane frowned, and then took a deep, shaky breath. "Besides," she went on, "he has two other fiancée's, remember? And in case you've forgotten after the whole mind-melding thing, I'm the UN-cute one."  
  
The Hannya put a hand to her temple in thought. "Well, I'm afraid it's the only condition there is. It's that or," the Oni made a sweeping motion with her hand, encompassing the entire black void. "Or it's this. The choice is yours. But, I'm warning you," she added, her eyes narrowed. "It's the only chance you'll get."  
  
Akane nodded mutely, in deep thought.  
  
She didn't know what to do.  
  
She wanted to live, she knew that much, but should she chance it? After all, she wasn't even sure if she could trust the Oni to keep her word—what if by some miracle Ranma did admit he loved her and she still died?  
  
At least here, she could pass on... maybe she could even find her mother.  
  
Thoughts of her mother, however, brought to mind memories of her family. Images of her father's tear-stained face suddenly filled her mind, and Akane shook her head, willing the image away. Then, more pictures appeared, Kasumi and Nabiki, crying—they had all lost so much when their mother had died. She couldn't stand putting them through all that again...  
  
And of course there was Ranma.  
  
She knew he would blame himself for her death, even if it wasn't his fault... and she couldn't stand the thought of Shampoo and Ukyo using her death as a way to stick their claws into him.  
  
And Mr. and Mrs. Saotome, her friends at school... she couldn't just abandon all of them, now, could she?  
  
Akane tried to smile.  
  
Ranma would do it, she berated herself. If he was in this situation instead of her, she had no doubt whatsoever that he would accept. He'd look at it as another challenge—another opponent to be defeated. Honestly, the moron was so predictable.  
  
Akane's smile faltered.  
  
But he was always stronger than her... no matter how hard she tried to equal him...  
  
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of such depressing thoughts. She wouldn't get anywhere if she kept comparing herself to Ranma, she decided. Besides, there were still a few things she needed to know before she made her final decision. Akane looked over at the Hannya. "The rules," she said, remembering that she didn't know them yet. "You said there were rules. What are they?"  
  
"Ah," The Oni said, seemingly pleased with her interest. "There are only a few, but they are all very important," she explained. "Rule number one: You are not allowed to say you love him. If you do, you lose automatically."  
  
Akane's heart sank. "But that's not fair," she said. "How am I supposed to get him to say it, if I can't even tell him how I feel?"  
  
The Hannya looked at her with narrowed eyes. "He must say it of his own volition, Akane," she reminded her. "If you were to say it first, then he would have been given, shall we say, a little push. And that," she said, shaking a finger in her direction, "makes it much too easy."  
  
"But that's not fair," Akane repeated.  
  
The Oni smiled. "I must have some sort of advantage," she said. "Or else, what's the point in playing? Rules make it challenging. Without a challenge, it wouldn't be fair to me, now would it?"  
  
Akane silently fumed. It was just like an Oni to tip the odds in his or her favor. "You said there were a few rules," she seethed. "What are the rest? Does he have to be blindfolded and standing on top of Tokyo Tower when he says it or something?"  
  
The Hannya laughed. "No, no, child, nothing like that," she said. "As I explained earlier, he must say it within three days. The time begins as soon as you open your eyes."  
  
"And it ends at that exact time on the third day, right?"  
  
The Oni nodded. "Any later—a minute later—is too late."  
  
Akane frowned as she tried to take in all the new information.  
  
"And of course," the Oni explained, her tone turning serious and hard. "No one must know of the conversation we've had here today: not of me, the agreement, or your actual death. But other than that," she continued firmly, "there are no rules. You may try anything you can think of to get him to admit his feelings for you. Although," she added, "you may not use magic, tricks, or drugs—"  
  
"—and it must be of his own volition," Akane interrupted. "Yeah, I know."  
  
"Well then," the Oni prompted, looking at her expectantly. "Have you made your decision yet?"  
  
Shaking her head, Akane sighed. "Can I have a little more time to make up my mind?" she asked quietly.  
  
"You may."  
  
Looking around her, she scanned her surroundings. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like trapped here for eternity—even staying here a moment longer, was much too long. The blackness around her was stifling and the small amount of light that the Oni did give off, did nothing to soothe her worries.  
  
But would such a fate be worst than what the Hannya had in store for her, if she lost?  
  
Akane groaned in frustration. She was no closer to making a decision now than she was in the beginning.  
  
This was all Ranma's fault, she thought angrily. It would be so much easier to make this decision if she just knew how the dummy felt about her. Did he hate her? Did he like her even a little? Did she even have a chance?  
  
If she accepted the offer, how did she know she wouldn't lose before she'd even begun? Akane sighed, feeling helpless.  
  
And then she heard it: A voice, calling out to her.  
  
But it wasn't just any voice.  
  
"Ranma?" Akane began to look around, searching for her fiancée.  
  
Then, she heard it again; Ranma, pleading with her to open her eyes.  
  
Across from her, the Hannya smiled.  
  
How could this be? Akane wondered. Why could she hear him but not see him?  
  
"He's not here, Akane," the Oni explained, "He's in Jusendou, waiting for you..."  
  
Akane fought back a wave of disappointment, as she nodded mutely. Of course, she thought sadly. There's no way he could be here... Any further thoughts were driven away as his voice came to her again. But there was something... strange about it. It didn't sound overly-confident, boastful, or arrogant, like usual.  
  
He sounded... so sad.  
  
Was he crying...?  
  
She stood there, amazed, listening intently to every word Ranma spoke, not believing her ears. He was pleading with her, apologizing, begging her to open her eyes and return to him.  
  
And then, just as quickly, the desperation was gone from his voice as he asked her to simply listen, saying that there was something he wanted to tell her...  
  
...And Akane's breath caught in her throat as her heart raced. She could feel it—the longing in his voice, the guilt—and when he screamed her name, all of his emotions washed over her, stronger than ever: the agony—the love—it was enveloping her, surrounding her.  
  
Akane smiled softly. Finally, she knew what she had to do.  
  
She turned towards the Oni. "Please," she said quietly. "I agree to your terms."  
  
"Then close your eyes," the Hannya commanded.  
  
And Akane obeyed.

* * *

End of Chapter 2

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

Wow! This chapter was SOOO easy to write: it just wrote itself! ;)  
  
I'm really sorry I said you'd get to see Ranma in this chapter and it didn't happen... but I just had to end it there. It's what the Chapter wanted... But don't worry—he's in the next one. I promise. In fact, he's the first word. (I'm in the process of writing it right now-- I'm aiming to have it written in a week at the MOST.)  
  
Okay, if you couldn't tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma's trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely...  
  
This story is based completely off the manga, so if I referred to any moments that you haven't read yet, or that left you completely confused, then feel free to go to my website and read the MANGA MOMENTS section. shameless plug, shameless plug  
  
Either way, I hope you're enjoying this story so far...  
  
Email:

ajewellATnmu.edu

...for some reason it won't let me put the circly at symbol thingie... :(

Homepage:

ranma-romance.com


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

**Three Days to Say I Love You**  
By: Angela Jewell  
  
Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?  
  
Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. Against their will... stuffs Ranma and Ryoga back into my closet  
  
For the three days, I'm counting the day of the Failed Wedding as a continuation of the 1st day. That just makes it easier to keep track, since we're not really sure how much time has passed between Jusendou and the failed wedding... and that way, I don't have to try and stage the rest of this story on a ship (or whatever method they chose to get back to Nerima by...)  
  
_Reviewers comments are following the Authors Notes..._  
  
And remember:  
  
Reviews = motivation to write

* * *

**Chapter 3  
** The Calm Before the Storm...

* * *

Ranma...  
  
Akane opened her eyes to see her fiancée staring down at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, his cheeks, tear-stained and dirty. Weakly, she lifted a hand, longing to touch his face. Even if she couldn't say the words, she could still try to get them across in some other way...  
  
... And Ranma continued to stare back at her, afraid to close his eyes—afraid to blink. His grip around her tightened as he pulled her closer; afraid she might disappear at any moment. "A... Akane?" He asked brokenly, hopefully. Finally, pulling back, he looked down at her face, and his mouth fell open in surprise. Akane was looking up at him, smiling brightly.  
  
"Hello, Ranma," she said softly.  
  
The relief was clear on his face as he looked down at her, and she saw that his tears had finally stopped falling.  
  
"Akane..."  
  
"I'm sorry," she replied, watching him closely. "I could hear everything... I just couldn't move to respond." She paused, gauging his reaction. Ranma paled, as he stared at her in horror.  
  
"Eh? Everything?" he asked, blushing furiously.  
  
Akane nodded her head. "Yup," she replied. "Every word." She watched as Ranma turned away, his hands on his face. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was deep in thought... although, he didn't need to look that stricken.  
  
Well, at least he didn't deny anything, she thought with relief. Besides, he probably just needed a little more time to come out and say it... she did take him by surprise after all.  
  
Akane sat up as Ryoga rushed towards her, stomping on Ranma in the process.  
  
"Akane!" he shouted, reaching out to her. "Thank god you're okay!" She could see the relief and worry on his face; emotions which had been reflected on Ranma's only moments before.  
  
"I'm sorry for worrying you," she replied guiltily, realizing she had completely forgotten about her friend. She chanced a quick glance over at Ranma, who had managed to push Ryoga off of him. He still hadn't said a word; but then again, she hadn't really expected him too either.  
  
Akane smiled uneasily. He'd say it eventually though, right? She watched as he walked away from her, headed towards the pools that had flooded.  
  
And for an instant, she could have sworn she heard the Hannya laughing.

**DAY 1  
**_Day of the Failed Wedding_  
Attempt #1: The Direct Approach

The time had finally come, and the moment was perfect. No fiancées or rivals were around to interrupt them; no family members nearby, eavesdropping, ready to embarrass them.  
  
For once, they were completely alone.  
  
And Ranma was there, sitting across from her, fidgeting nervously.  
  
Finally, after minutes of uncomfortable silence, he looked up at her, blushing slightly. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked curiously, completely serious for once. "What made you want to go ahead with the wedding?"  
  
Akane blushed as she held the bouquet of flowers tightly in her lap. "Well..." she began uncomfortably, her eyes focused firmly on the ground. She had decided a while ago that asking him point blank would be the easiest way—and since the Hannya hadn't mentioned it, she was sure she wasn't breaking any rules.  
  
Of course, she was still having trouble gathering the courage she needed in order to form the words.  
  
Taking a deep, calming breath, Akane spoke. "Ranma," she said at last, her voice lower and less confident than she had intended. "You love me. Don't you?" Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze...  
  
And Ranma's eyes widened. "Um... I do?" he asked, genuinely surprised. He tilted his head in confusion. "What made you think that, Akane?"  
  
Akane looked down at the floor, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. "But... when you were crying over me at Jusenkyo... I could've sworn I heard you... y'know, say you loved me."  
  
Ranma looked perplexed as he racked his brain, trying to remember. Then, his face turned red. With shaking fists, he turned on her. "I'm sure I didn't say it out loud!" he shouted angrily. "I know I didn't! NO WAY!"  
  
"What's the difference?" she yelled back, more insulted by his reaction, than by his words. "I'm still sure I heard you in some way!"  
  
Ranma took a couple of steps back as he slipped into a defensive position. "What?" he demanded, throwing his hands up before him—prepared to fend off an imminent attack. "You wanna fight about it?"  
  
Akane turned away from him, silently fuming. That idiot, she thought furiously. He couldn't even answer a simple question without making it sound insulting. She sighed, as she placed a hand to her head in consternation.  
  
One thing was for sure. The direct approach definitely wasn't the way to go...

* * *

The wedding, naturally, had been a failure. And although she was slightly disappointed, she couldn't say she was exactly surprised.  
  
But it _was_ unfortunate.  
  
A part of her realized that marrying Ranma might have given him the extra push he needed in order to say the words... even while a part of her admitted that it might have been the one thing that would push him even further away...  
  
She frowned at the idea. She definitely didn't want to force him into anything—especially something so important. But what else could she have done?  
  
Her eyes came to fall on a book that was sitting on her desk—something Nabiki had gotten her as a "thank you," for making the wedding so profitable. It was entitled, How to seduce your man and keep him seduced. Honestly, she thought, blushing. She couldn't believe Nabiki sometimes.  
  
Turning away from her desk, Akane looked at the small window by her bed—the one Ranma had been known to climb into whenever the occasion called for it. She couldn't help but wonder what he thought about the whole thing. She knew he was still furious at Happosai for drinking the Nanniicuan—that much was obvious—but what did he feel about the wedding being destroyed? And did he still blame her for not telling him about the Nanniicuan sooner?  
  
Unbidden, her eyes drifted back to the book on her desk.  
  
Sighing, Akane threw herself down on her bed. She knew it was pointless to dwell on the failed wedding; especially when there were more important things to worry about.  
  
But how could she get Ranma to say he loves her?  
  
She hadn't even thought past asking him directly... and that definitely hadn't gone according to plan. She didn't want to scare him away—she just wanted to give him a little push...  
  
Once again her eyes drifted to the book.  
  
Well, it was worth a try, she decided, as she got up from her bed and made her way over to her desk. Fighting back a blush, and with several quick glances in both directions to make sure no one was spying on her, she began to leaf through the pages.  
  
Seduction is all about your attitude, she read, her eyes scanning the page. Believe you're sexy, and you will feel sexy. She paused, letting the information sink in. Well, it made perfect sense to her, she decided. Every time Ranma had called her uncute, she had never once argued with him or tried to prove him wrong. Sure, she had gotten mad and hit him once or twice, but that wasn't exactly altering his perception of her...  
  
Encouraged, she continued reading.  
  
Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff she read didn't apply to her, so she found herself skipping through most of it, and only lingering on the interesting, useful parts. Finally, once she decided she'd gathered all of the information she was going to need, she quickly put the book back on her desk.  
  
A small smile came to her face as she looked out the window.  
  
Maybe she had an idea after all...

**Day 2  
**Attempt #2: The Subtle Art of Seduction

The first part of her plan had gone surprisingly well. A subtle hint here, a complaint there—and before she knew it, Ranma was forced by their parents to take her out on a date. And not just any date: a real date! But what really surprised her was the fact that he never argued or complained once!  
  
She knew it was silly to get her hopes up—especially after what he'd said at the failed wedding—but she still couldn't help feeling the smallest bit hopeful.  
  
And for once, she felt like there was good reason: the date, so far, had been perfect.  
  
She'd kept her anger at bay—he had kept his mouth shut—and they hadn't argued or fought once. Somehow they had even managed to fly beneath the radar of their suitors.  
  
But still a part of her continued to worry...  
  
After all, she only had two days left.  
  
Akane shook her head resolutely, trying to will those thoughts away. She knew she wouldn't accomplish anything if she continued to dwell on her bargain with the Hannya.  
  
And she definitely didn't want to ruin their date with such depressing thoughts: Especially when the information she had gleamed from that book was paying off so well—she had never seen her fiancée so quiet and shy before. And he hadn't even called her uncute once!  
  
Not that he could even if he wanted too.  
  
Tonight, she knew she looked nothing like the uncute, sexless, tomboy he was always saying she was.  
  
She was dressed in one of Nabiki's short, black dresses—something that had cost her a pretty penny to borrow. And although it wasn't her style, she knew it looked good on her. The dress clung in all the right places; and her curves were accentuated perfectly. And the look of disbelief on Ranma's face when she had first appeared before him had only confirmed this belief, strengthening her resolve.  
  
Akane smiled at the memory as she looked over at her fiancée.  
  
Suddenly, he turned towards her, his blue eyes widening in surprise as he noticed she'd been staring at him.  
  
Blushing, she quickly looked away.  
  
Finally, after several moments, Ranma's voice broke the uneasy silence. "So, umm, anyway," he said, taking a deep breath. "I've been wanting to say that I'm, ya know... sorry."  
  
Akane looked at him in confusion. "Sorry?" she asked. "About what?"  
  
"You know... that whole wedding thing," he explained, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I really didn't know they were gonna get so bent out of shape about it. I mean, yeah, okay, sure, I knew Shampoo would—but Ukyo. I really didn't think she'd stoop to their level."  
  
Akane nodded her head sadly, even though, internally, she was smiling. He was apologizing for the wedding, she thought happily.  
  
"It's okay," she replied reluctantly, frowning. "I understand why they did it. I'm just sorry you lost the Nanniichuan..."  
  
Ranma nodded his head, smirking. "Yeah, well, I know it wasn't really your fault," he replied, glancing at her. "Although you could've told me sooner."  
  
"Sorry," she replied softly, her gaze fixed on the ground. "I was just trying to help."  
  
He smiled. "Yeah, I know."  
  
With a sigh, she turned away from him, her eyes focusing on the trees and bushes as she began walking ahead. "You must be relieved that the wedding got ruined, though, right?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "After all, I know you didn't really want to marry me anyway."  
  
"Geez. You're such a dummy," Ranma replied, as he grabbed a hold of her arm, stopping her. "I just apologized about it getting ruined, didn't I?"  
  
Akane shrugged his hand off her arm. "Even if it hadn't been interrupted, you still wouldn't have gone through with it," she snapped.  
  
A look came to Ranma's eyes as he looked at her; his expression, serious and hard. "I couldda gone through with it." he said softly, his voice losing most of its steam. "I just didn't wanna be pushed into it—for us to be pushed into it. I mean, aren't you tired of them always buttin' in, Akane? Cause I know I sure as hell am."  
  
Akane looked at him in surprise, her mind replaying his words.  
  
He would have gone through with it...?  
  
"Ranma..."  
  
Slowly, Akane reached out to touch his arm—only to have it knocked away seconds later by a certain Chinese Amazon. She quickly withdrew her hand, holding it against her chest as she ignored the small sting of pain that spread throughout her arm.  
  
"So is true after all," Shampoo said, her eyes boring into those of her husbands. "Ranma take Akane out on date." The Purple-Haired Amazon didn't even wait for a response. Turning towards her rival, her eyes spitting fire, she raised her bonborrie in challenge. "Akane no touch Shampoo's husband."  
  
Akane never got the chance to reply. A strong hand grasped her arm and she was abruptly pulled back. Then Ranma was in front of her, blocking her from the Chinese girl's view.  
  
"Give it a rest, will ya Shampoo?" he complained. "Wasn't destroying our wedding enough?"  
  
Akane glanced from where his hand still rested on her arm, up to his determined and set face, her heart pounding. He's actually standing up to Shampoo, she thought in amazement.  
  
Shampoo's grip on her bonborrie never loosened. "Husband no interfere," she replied, glaring at Akane over Ranma's shoulder. "This between Akane and Shampoo."  
  
Ranma laughed bitterly. "Oh," he replied, hotly. "So I suppose I have no say in the matter, huh?"  
  
Shampoo lowered her bonborrie and looked at her Husband in confusion. "Ranma is Shampoo's by law—no need have say," she replied.  
  
Akane could feel Ranma's grip on her arm tighten slightly at the Amazon's words. "Oh, is that so?" he replied, his voice cold as ice.  
  
With that said, he didn't launch himself at Shampoo—something she had almost been expecting him to do—but instead, did something Akane knew her rival would like even less.  
  
He turned away from her.  
  
"Come on, Akane," he said, as he took her hand firmly in his. "Let's continue our date."  
  
"This no over," Shampoo yelled, her voice hard. "Ranma is Shampoo's by law: woman who interfere is obstacle."  
  
Ranma quickly turned around, throwing a threatening glare in Shampoo's direction. "Don't come near her," he warned, his eyes angry. "I don't wanna have to fight you. But I will if I have too, Shampoo."  
  
Akane took a step back in surprise. The Amazon was staring daggers at her, her eyes cold and hard. She couldn't remember a time she'd seen the Amazon so angry. And then, just as quickly, she was turning away without a word, heading into the shadows.  
  
"Ranma," she asked suddenly, confused. "Why didn't she just attack me? You could tell she wanted too."  
  
"Dummy—she wouldn't attack you when I'm standing right here."  
  
Akane looked up at him in confusion. "But why not? She always used too."  
  
An unreadable look came to his eyes as he glanced down at her, and then, just as quickly, it was gone. "That was before Jusendou," he said softly. And Akane felt his grip on her hand tighten.  
  
The rest of their date passed mostly in silence.  
  
Akane smiled as she lay in bed, thinking about the day's events. She knew it hadn't been a complete success—the opportunity to use everything she had learned about seduction never really got off the ground, especially with Shampoo's interruption... but in a way, she was kind of glad things turned out the way they did.  
  
If she was going to get Ranma to admit his feelings for her, she wanted him to tell her—the uncute, tomboy—not someone she was pretending to be.  
  
And although there had been no declarations of love, their date had been... nice. Perfect, even.  
  
She knew she only had one day left, but for once, she felt like everything was moving in the right direction...  
  
...There was no way she could have known that the Hannya was watching her every move, a smile on her face as she bided her time.

* * *

End of Chapter 3

* * *

**Authors Notes:**  
  
I'm sorry if you felt like the first two days passed by too quickly, but I'm sure most of you realize that the real action won't happen until the 3rd day. I thought of the first two days as a sort of warm up—at least, after she realized the direct approach wasn't going to work.  
  
And besides, you know what they say: Most people work best under pressure. ;)  
  
Okay, if you couldn't tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma's trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely...  
  
This story is based completely off the manga, so if I referred to any moments that you haven't read yet, or that left you completely confused, then feel free to go to my website and read the MANGA MOMENTS section. shameless plug, shameless plug  
  
Either way, I hope you're enjoying this story so far...  
  
_Reviewers Comments:_  
  
**Lady Mokodane**: Wow. It's that obvious, huh? Hehe. Oh well, guilty as charged. They're my all-time favorite anime couple! And I'm glad you liked the term of Hannya—I just hope I'm using it correctly... Thanks for all your wonderful reviews!! =)  
  
**UY**: Thanks! I've been doing pretty good about updating this story so far: I just hope I can keep it up!  
  
**Kuno-Baby**: Hey! Akane isn't dumb! Okay... well, maybe a little... but still! =P  
  
**Xero-ghost**: Yeah, I always wondered that too! Hence, this story! It's just a fun little 'what if' thing I've had in mind for awhile. I'm just glad I finally got around to writing it, and that other people are enjoying it too.  
  
**Pokey**: Wow! Thanks!!! It's always nice to know that people think my stories are original and interesting. =)  
  
**Marisha**: Thank you so much for all your reviews!! I'm really glad you like my other stories as well! I promise: I AM still working on them... Actually, Chapter 8 of The Forgotten Game is almost done, so hopefully, I'll be able to finish that soon and post it. I'm really glad you like my website too!!!! Thanks for writing in the Guestbook!! =D  
  
And thanks to everyone else who reviewed! All of you gave me the motivation I needed to write...


	4. The Third Day

**Three Days to Say I Love You**  
By: Angela Jewell  
  
Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?  
  
Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you'll lose and still be broke...  
  
_Reviewers comments are following the Authors Notes...  
_  
(_whispers_) I hope you guys appreciate what I went through for you. (_peeks over computer_) I finished editing this at work, (_minimizes screen while boss walks by_), and all because I wanted you to have a nice, new chapter to read before I got home around 3:00. (_ducks under desk_). I'll be starting Chapter 5 when I get home from work, so enjoy! (_freezes my computer with my story_). Oh! And I'm going to be going over it again thoroughly when I get home, so please forgive me if it changes slightly between then and now. (_stops whispering to yell to my boss_) Yeah! I'm getting those books right now! (_returns to the wonderful world of work_) Wish me luck!!!  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

And remember:  
Reviews = motivation to write

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**The Third Day...

* * *

The Hannya was inside her mind again, and this time there was nothing she could do to stop her. But it felt... different from before. The first time, the Oni had searched for happy memories and feelings—anything to help confront her feelings for Ranma. But now the images that invaded her mind seemed to be doing the exact opposite; this time he was yelling at her, calling her stupid.  
  
Their childish names for each other echoed in her head as she relived past arguments, past fights—tomboy, dummy, uncute, sexless, pervert—and it didn't take long until she felt the familiar anger, frustration, and sadness washing over her.  
  
She tried to fight the cruel memories with pleasant, happy ones: to recall a time when he called her cute, or a moment when he had said something nice to her—but even those moments were too few and far between, and just as quickly more painful memories were coming to replace them...  
  
She tried to shut them out of her mind, but nothing seemed to work.  
  
And then without warning the memories disappeared and Ranma was there, standing before her. Akane slowly began to walk towards him, her heart pounding—only to quickly stop in her tracks. His eyes were narrowed in anger, and the sneer on his face made her hesitant to approach.  
  
Then Shampoo and Ukyo were there as well, standing next to him. A fond smile came to his face as each girl clung possessively to his arms. "See, Akane," he seemed to say as he began to laugh. "Why would I choose an uncute, stupid girl like you when I could have either of them?" And then he was leaning over to gently kiss each girl on the lips...  
  
...And the memories were returning, now more insistent than ever.  
  
Again she was reliving every moment Ranma had ever spent with his other fiancees—the several times he was kissed by Shampoo—all the times she'd seen him in a suspicious position with Kodachi or the Amazon...  
  
... Ranma happily eating Ukyo's food as the Okonomiyaki chef watched, sighing blissfully. And then, once again, the memories were gone, and Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi were looking at her, satisfied, gloating smiles on their faces.  
  
And that's when she heard the Hannya's voice in her mind... taunting, laughing. And then she was surrounded in blackness.

* * *

Akane awoke from the dream; her heart pounding, her body, tense.  
  
The Hannya's words rang in her head, even as she fought back the sudden fear that gripped her. "Get a hold of yourself," she firmly ordered, the blanket clutched tightly in her fists. "It's just a dream. It wasn't real."  
  
Sitting up in bed, Akane shook her head, willing the lingering memories away. She knew it was pointless to dwell on them; a feeling of urgency gripped her now more than ever.  
  
Today was the last day.  
  
Jumping out of bed, Akane grabbed her clothes as she quickly headed towards the bathroom. She knew she had a lot of time to make up. Yesterday she hadn't been nearly as aggressive as she should have been...  
  
And now, there was no time to spare.

**Day 3  
**Attempt #3: Nabiki  
(_Playing the Jealousy Factor_)

Akane watched her sister closely.  
  
She knew she had to be careful about what she said. Borrowing the dress had been enough to raise Nabiki's suspicions; she was sure she already knew something was wrong. And now, the fact that she was back again, asking for a favor, was probably only increasing her curiosity.  
  
And the last thing Akane wanted was a curious Nabiki.  
  
"So," her sister began, smiling slightly. "What can I help you with this time? Are you ready to move on to lingerie?"  
  
Akane scowled in reply, but ignored the comment. "I need some help," she began hesitantly.  
  
"With what?" Nabiki asked, leaning forward.  
  
Akane swallowed nervously. "Ranma."  
  
Nabiki's mouth fell open in surprise as she looked at her sister in amazement. "Wow," she said at last, her eyes wide. She leaned back as she surveyed her sister with new found respect. "I must admit, I didn't think you'd just come right out and say it: especially not so soon. Usually you feign ignorance or deny it—then storm out."  
  
"Nabiki!" Akane admonished, frowning. "This is serious. I really need your help."  
  
Nabiki leaned back on her bed, her expression turning somber. "Of course it is," she replied, fighting back a grin. "What has he done this time?"  
  
Akane blushed as she turned away from her sister, too embarrassed to meet her gaze. "It's not so much what he _has_ done than what he _hasn't_."  
  
Nabiki's eyes lit up. "Aww, I see," she replied conspiratorially. "So you're finally ready to move on to the next level, huh?" She looked at her sister approvingly, and then nodded her head. "Well, I can't say it hasn't been fun watching you two dance around your feelings for each other, but I guess enough's enough. So," she asked, a gleam coming to her eyes. "What can I do to help?"  
  
Akane paused, deep in thought. This was the part she had been dreading. "I need some ideas," she explained softly, blushing. "I want him to say he—to admit that he—" she stopped, frustrated. Why was it so hard to say the words? This was her sister—this was Nabiki! It wasn't Ranma. Taking a deep breath, she gathered up her courage. "I want him to say that he loves me," she blurted out. She could feel her face burning with embarrassment as she stared down at the floor.  
  
Nabiki stared back.  
  
"Akane," she said, slowly, curiously. "What exactly happened at Jusendou?"  
  
Akane looked up, startled. She couldn't know about the bargain just from that, could she? "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.  
  
Nabiki looked at her strangely. "This can't all be a coincidence," she replied, her eyes narrowed. "When Ranma left, you guys were barely speaking to each other, and then suddenly after Jusendou, you're willing to marry him?" Nabiki paused as she shook her head. "I know something must have happened there—and I'm sure it's something big—something you're not telling us. You wouldn't agree to marry Ranma without a good reason."  
  
"I had a good reason," she replied defensively, sitting up. "I had too, or he wouldn't have gotten the Nanniichuan!"  
  
Nabiki actually laughed. "Akane," she said incredulously. "Do you _really_ think I'd believe that was the _only_ reason? You and I both know that daddy would have given it to him either way. You could have easily said no."  
  
"I already told you what happened," she said uncomfortably, quickly changing the subject. "I don't know what more you want me to say."  
  
Her sister raised an eyebrow. "I'm not asking about what you _told_ us," she explained, crossing her arms against her chest. "I'm asking about what you left out."  
  
Turning her eyes to the window, Akane sighed. Sometimes Nabiki was too perceptive for her own good. She _knew_ she should have gone to Kasumi first...  
  
"Well?" Nabiki asked impatiently.  
  
Akane sighed in defeat as she finally caved in. It didn't take her long to tell her sister everything that had transpired at Jusendou—mainly, her near- death experience. When they had first returned to Nerima, everyone had thought it best to leave out the fact that she had almost died: If for no other reason than to prevent Soun from worrying unnecessarily. When she had finished, Nabiki—her self-possessed, unshakable sister—looked slightly pale. It hadn't taken her sister long, however, to regain her composure.  
  
She shuddered to think how she would react if she knew the _whole_ truth. But there was no way she could tell her about the Hannya and the bargain she had made...  
  
"You really love him, don't you?"  
  
Akane looked up, startled to see the serious expression on Nabiki's face. Her older sister was watching her with a mixture of awe and surprise, although there was another emotion there, something unreadable that was just beneath the surface. Was it envy? The expression had disappeared as quickly as it had come...  
  
Akane, unable to form the words, simply nodded.  
  
Sighing, Nabiki looked around the room. "Well, I can't really say I understand what you see in him... but if it's what you want, then I'll help you." She turned to her, a serious expression on her face. "And the answer is so simple, I won't even charge you for it."  
  
Akane waited patiently, her heart pounding. If anyone could solve her problem, she knew Nabiki could...  
  
"Akane," her sister said slowly, firmly. "Just _tell_ him."  
  
She felt her heart fall at those words. Shaking her head, she tried to keep her voice steady. "I can't say it," she finished lamely.  
  
Nabiki groaned. "Think about it, Akane," she told her, leaning forward. "This is _Ranma_ we're talking about. No offense, but let's face it: the guy's just way too dense to figure something like that out on his own. The only way he'll ever say it, is if you say it first."  
  
"But I can't," Akane insisted, lowering her voice. "You've seen what happens with Shampoo and Ukyo... saying the words would only push him away."  
  
Nabiki laughed. "Akane," she said, "you are such an idiot."  
  
Her head jerked up at those words. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded, glaring at her sister.  
  
Nabiki sighed in frustration as she met Akane's gaze. "What I mean," she reiterated, "is that you can't compare your situation to Shampoo and Ukyo's. For one thing, you've never had to chase after him—you've always denied the engagement, and fought it tooth and nail." She paused to smile. "That means that a confession from you will actually mean something. You're the only one who hasn't treated him like some trophy to be won—and two," she continued, counting the points she was making off with her fingers, "the moron loves _you_. If he loved one of them he would have been gone by now."  
  
Akane turned away. "Even if he _does_ love me," she argued, "part of the reason is because he's honor-bound too. And the last thing I want is for him to feel obligated to return my feelings." She paused, surprised by the force of her words. It was only then that she realized that everything she was saying, she truly believed. She turned back to her sister, her eyes troubled. "That's why I want him to say it first. Then I'll know that he isn't reciprocating purely because of our fathers, and his honor."  
  
Nabiki nodded in understanding. "I'll try to think of a different way," she assured her.  
  
Akane sighed, relieved. "Thanks," she replied.  
  
Nabiki was quiet for several minutes, deep in thought. "There is another way," she said slowly, looking up. "You know how jealous Ranma can be—why don't you play off that? If he feels like he might lose you, he may be more willing to say whatever it takes to keep you."  
  
"Jealous?" Akane let the word roll around on her tongue. It sounded like a good idea, "But how?" she asked.  
  
Nabiki shrugged. "Just grab Ryoga, or Mousse or someone. Ranma," she explained, winking, "will take care of the rest."  
  
Akane thought back to all the times Ranma had ever been jealous. She could still remember how angry and hurt he'd been with her when he thought she had chosen Shinnousuke over him... or how he went out of his way to sabotage her dates with Ryoga. With Shinnousuke, he had almost been willing to give her up...  
  
But that was before Jusendou, she reminded herself.  
  
She wondered what he'd do now. Would he quietly step aside like before? Or would be fight to keep her? Either way, she had to admit that the idea did sound intriguing...  
  
"It's a good idea," she said slowly, voicing her concerns, "but I don't think Ranma is capable of being jealous over Mousse—he's too in love with Shampoo. And I'm not sure where Ryoga is. He disappeared right after the failed wedding."  
  
"Well, there's always Kuno," Nabiki replied with a smirk.  
  
Akane looked at her as if she'd grown two heads. "No way," she replied, bulking at the thought alone. "Besides," she added, "Ranma would never believe I'm on a date with Kuno. And there's no way he'd be jealous—disgusted, yeah—but not jealous."  
  
Nabiki looked contemplative for a moment. "Since Ranma knows you'd never _willingly_ date Kuno, it could work to your advantage," she replied thoughtfully. A small smile was forming on her face as the beginnings of an idea were taking shape. "He may naturally assume that you're under some kind of spell or something," she shrugged.  
  
"But I won't be," said Akane, frowning.  
  
Nabiki sighed in frustration as she looked at her sister. "You're thinking about this all wrong, Akane," she told her. "There's nothing wrong with _letting_ him think you're under some kind of curse. Besides," she went on. "You never know... that may be the extra push he needs."  
  
"But I don't want to trick him into saying it," she argued, remembering the Oni's words.  
  
Nabiki shook her head, looking slightly miffed. "I'm not saying to trick him exactly," she said slowly. "Just... mislead him a little."  
  
Akane looked at her doubtfully. "How is that different from Shampoo using the reversal jewel?" she asked.  
  
"Because," Nabiki replied, coldly, "You wouldn't be forcing him to admit anything—he'd be doing it on his own. It's not like I'd be standing on the sidelines whispering, 'Hey, Ranma! Tell her you love her—that'll break the spell!' Besides," she continued, "it's not a solid guarantee that it'll work at all. But you never know," she added with a shrug.  
  
"But wouldn't be just beat Kuno to a pulp instead?" Akane asked, remembering Ranma's usual course of actual with the annoying Kendoist.  
  
Nabiki paused. "If he tries, just throw yourself in front of Kuno to stop him. You know Ranma won't do anything if you're in the way. Just add a couple of tears and he'll be putty in your hands."  
  
Akane looked thoughtful for a moment. There were a lot of things she liked about the idea—but just as many things that she didn't. But, she hated to admit, the most promising part of the plan was the fact that it didn't have any other ideas to contend with... and now was not the time to be choosy.  
  
"Well, take it or leave it," Nabiki said, suddenly looking uninterested and bored. "But that's all I can come up with on such short notice. Ask me again tomorrow if it doesn't work out. Maybe by then, I'll have thought of something else."  
  
Akane absently nodded her head, her mind wandering. No matter what happened, she _had_ to make it work—she may not have a tomorrow to come back too...

* * *

The meeting with Nabiki had gone surprisingly well. She hadn't let anything slip about the Hannya, or about the bargain she had made. And the more she thought about her plan, the more she found herself actually liking it. Although she detested the thought of pretending to be in love with Kuno, she knew it might be just the thing Ranma needed in order to say the words...  
  
After all, when she had swallowed the day time pill, Ranma had been willing to turn back into a guy just for her—and that had only been for one day! Her situation with Kuno wouldn't be all that different, she tried to convince herself.  
  
Akane steeled her resolve as she stood outside the door to the dojo, gathering up all of her courage. She knew Ranma was inside training—it was the one place she always knew she could find him when he wasn't at the table, devouring Kasumi's cooking.  
  
With a steady, confident hand, Akane slid the door aside, only to be nearly knocked over for her trouble. Ranma was there, standing before her, a surprised expression on his face as he looked down at his fiancée. Akane pushed the memory of her dream aside as she smiled sheepishly up at him.  
  
"Ah, hey, Akane," he said, grinning. "What's up?"  
  
Akane blushed as she looked down at the floor. "Actually, I was looking for you," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant.  
  
Ranma's eyes widened in fear as he looked at her. "Me?" he asked, swallowing nervously. "Look, Akane, I swear I didn't do nothin'," he said defensively. "When I woke up she was already—" he stopped as he noticed the blank look on her face. "Err, anyway, it was all just a misunderstanding," he finished lamely.  
  
Akane looked at him, taken aback. What in the world was he talking about, she wondered? "I know," she replied, trying her best to sound unbothered by his comment. The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight with him. "I was just hoping that you could meet me in the park in a half-hour," she said, trying to smile.  
  
Ranma seemed to visibly relax at her words, as a hand slipping unnoticed to the back of his head. "Aw, yeah, sure," he said, smiling. "But why do you want to meet there, Akane? I mean, can't we just go together?"  
  
It was just like Ranma to finally be nice to her just when she was in the process of lying to him, she thought dejectedly. Shaking her head, she frowned. "I have some things to take care of first," she replied, even as she fought back a sudden surge of guilt. Chancing a quick glance at him, she smiled. "But I'll be waiting at the fountain, okay? And don't be late!" she added quickly, before turning to leave.  
  
Ranma simply nodded.  
  
Making her way through the outer gates, Akane began heading towards the Kuno estate. She knew convincing Kuno to come with her would be easy—it was just a matter of forcing herself to say the words, that she was dreading...

* * *

A half-hour later, Ranma was making his way to the park, balancing easily on the chain-link fence as he ran. He wondered why Akane wanted to meet him in the park in the first place... He had several ideas; he just hoped none of them were correct.  
  
There was no denying that ever since returning from their trip, his fiancée had been acting strange. It wasn't necessarily a _bad_ change—in fact, he actually found himself secretly enjoying it. After all, it wasn't everyday that his uncute, tomboy of a fiancée was bending over backwards in order to be nice to him. But despite all of this, he still couldn't find himself comfortable with the change.  
  
He wasn't sure why or how, but he knew it had something to do with Jusendou.  
  
Jusendou.  
  
Even now, three days later, the mere mention of the place sent shivers down his spine. He had tried to rid himself of the memories--he had attempted meditation and immersing himself in the art—yet nothing seemed to work.  
  
He still couldn't get the image of Akane dying in his arms out of his mind.  
  
Ever since their return, there had been this fear in the back of his mind. An irrational fear that something still wasn't right. Which seemed completely unfair. After all, he had followed all of the rules--defeated the bad guy, saved the girl--so why did he still feel like something was out of place?  
  
Ranma glanced up at the sky, annoyed to see rain clouds gathering above him. Just great, he thought angrily, just what I need--rain. Even before he had completed the thought, the rain drops had started to fall, and he soon found himself smaller, madder, and female.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Ranma stopped running. He knew Ucchan's was close by, and he couldn't help longing for some hot water and an umbrella—and maybe even some warm food. Although he had just finished some of Kasumi's meal, he knew he still had room for an Okonomiyaki or two. And he was already running late, so what were a few more minutes? At least when he showed up, he could say he stopped at a store to grab an umbrella for her.  
  
Besides, he tried to convince himself, Akane wouldn't be dumb enough to stand waiting for him in the rain. As soon as it had started, she probably decided to head back home instead. Nodding his head resolutely, Ranma quickly changed direction, headed towards Ukyo's restaurant.  
  
He could always talk to Akane later, he decided.

* * *

Akane silently fumed as she ran through the streets, looking for Ranma. The umbrella Kuno had lent her flew behind her as she ran, blown about by the wind. Although it was doing a good job of protecting her from most of the rain, the occasion small gusts of precipitation still managed to find its way through. Her face and her hands were cold as she clenched the handle, cursing her own stupidity for not changing clothes in the few minutes she had used to run home. She had learned the hard way that the light pink dress she had chosen specifically for this occasion was not one that utilized warmth. She was cold, wet and miserable.  
  
And she knew that the time she had left was slowly slipping away....  
  
Her fiancée had neglected to show up at the park like he had been told too, and as a result, she had been forced to fend off Kuno for an entire half- hour while waiting for him to arrive. The upperclassman had taken the coming rain as a sign from the Gods—claiming they were to go to a tea house where they would warm their bodies as well as their hearts, and had been annoyingly persistent since they had first reached their destination.  
  
She should have known the plan wouldn't work.  
  
Standing next to Kuno for five minutes had been almost more than she could stand—pretending to like him she realized, would have been next to impossible—especially when she didn't know if the end result would be the one she needed. And after the Kenodist had grabbed her for the hundredth time, she had finally decided enough was enough. With a well placed kick, she had sent him flying.  
  
Now, her plan was ruined. She was out of ideas, her fiancée was missing, and she was running out of time.  
  
And where could Ranma be? Akane glanced in another store window as she passed, looking for the familiar red Chinese shirt and pigtail, only to find nothing. And why did the jerk have to stand her up today of all days, she thought furiously. Glancing quickly at her watch, Akane felt her heart painfully tighten in her chest.  
  
She had to find him soon.  
  
Quickening her pace, she began heading towards Ucchan's. She knew it was a long shot, but if he wasn't at home, she knew there was a good chance that he was either with Shampoo or Ukyo. Remembering her dream, Akane tried her best to fight back the anger and jealousy that surfaced at the thought alone.  
  
She prayed for his sake and her own, that he was somewhere else...

* * *

Ranma, meanwhile, _was_ at Ucchan's. The martial artist was sitting across from his 'cute' fiancée, fidgeting nervously. The words, "Ran-chan, we need to talk," striking a fear in him that few other words could. He just hoped it wasn't something overly serious. Akane was already going to be angry at him for being so late—the last thing he wanted was to have another angry female on his hands.  
  
"So, what's up Ucchan?" he asked. He tried to sound indifferent and unconcerned, but found himself failing miserably.  
  
Ukyo sat tidily before him, her hands in her lap. Ranma watched her nervously, uncomfortable with the serious, determined girl that sat in front of him. Looking away momentarily, he tried to distract himself by glancing around her room—like always, it was mostly empty and bare. A small futon and dresser were the only furnishings: he couldn't help but compare it to Akane's, who's bedroom always seemed to be filled with odds and ends—a barbell, a magazine, a school book. He had never realized how different the two girls truly were from each other... and he couldn't believe two bedrooms could be so different.  
  
"It must be fate," Ukyo said at last, glancing up at him as she laughed good-naturedly. "You came right when I was thinking about you."  
  
"Err, sure," Ranma said awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. "And thanks for getting me the hot water," he added, motioning to his current gender. "I had no idea it was supposed to rain today."  
  
"It was nothing," Ukyo replied, smiling.  
  
"So, what's up Ucchan? What did ya wanna talk to me about?"  
  
His childhood friend looked up at him, only to quickly turn her gaze back down to the floor. "Well," she said softly, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts to control it. "There's something I need to know: something I've been wondering for a long time." She paused as she turned to look at him, her jaw set with determination. "Ranma," she asked. "Do you love Akane?"  
  
Ranma's mouth fell open in surprise as he looked at her. Ukyo, however, didn't even wait for him to answer. "What I mean," she went on, blushing furiously, "is that I heard about what happened at Jusendou, and then with your wedding..." she trailed off, shaking her head resolutely. "Ranma," she repeated, her voice firm. "I need to know who it is you're in love with. If it's not her, then that means it's me, right?"  
  
Ranma let out a deep breath as he glanced angrily out the window. "Jeez," he complained, blushing slightly. "Why do people keep asking me this? First Akane, and now you?"  
  
Ukyo's eyes widened in surprise as she leaned forward. "So you don't love her?" she confirmed, her voice hopeful. "I mean, I always thought that you didn't but I wanted to make sure," she added quickly. Her face was beaming with happiness as she looked at him.  
  
Ranma glanced down at the ground, avoiding her eyes. Taking a deep breath, he glanced up at her. "Ukyo," he said softly, apologetically. "I can't marry you... You know that, right?" He watched, guilt ridden, as her face fell and tears began to gather in her eyes.  
  
She shook her head, as she fought back the tears. "Sure you can," she replied quietly, looking at her hands. "You don't love her, so there's nothing stopping you."  
  
"I didn't say I—," Ranma stopped and sighed. "Look, the truth is, me and Akane are gonna get married eventually whether we want too or not. It's just a matter of time." He paused as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "But I still want us to be friends, Ukyo—not matter what happens."  
  
Ukyo looked up, wide-eyed and angry. "Friends?" she asked in disbelief. She laughed bitterly as she bit her trembling lip, her body shaking despite her best efforts to control it. "Have you ever seen me as anything more?" she asked brokenly, resentfully.  
  
Ranma remained silent.  
  
"It's not fair," she continued angrily, wiping away the tears. "How did I even have a chance, when you refused to look past the fact that I was just your friend?"  
  
"Ukyo..." Ranma looked at her helplessly, unsure what to say. He hated seeing her so heartbroken and sad.  
  
Suddenly, Ukyo lifted her head and stared directly at him, an unreadable look in her eyes, as she seemed to come to some unknown decision. Then, before Ranma even realized what was happening, Ukyo had leaned forward and was pressing her lips firmly against his. Ranma stiffened, unsure how to react...  
  
...And Akane dropped her umbrella as she watched through the window—not believing her eyes. Her body felt numb as she turned away, the umbrella completely forgotten as she walked blindly down the stairs.  
  
In the bedroom, Ranma had finally pushed Ukyo away. He looked at his friend, a troubled expression on his face. "Ukyo," he said, gently, quietly. "I'm sorry, I just don't—"  
  
Ukyo shook her head, cutting him off. Fresh tears pooled in her eyes as she looked away. "Just go," she told him, pointing to the door.  
  
Ranma stood up. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked, worried.  
  
Ukyo's finger remained in the air, silently pointing. She remained quiet, and still refused to look at him.  
  
Ranma, giving up, opened the door and stepped out of the room. Turning around once more, he glanced sadly at Ukyo. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he knew he couldn't keep letting her fool herself...  
  
As silently as he could, the door was closed. And there, lying on the ground at his feet was a wet and abandoned umbrella.  
  
Where did this come from? He wondered idly as he leaned down to pick it up.  
  
Holding it in his hands, Ranma headed down the stairs, only to stop when he noticed Konatsu's expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, a sudden fear tugging at the back of his mind.  
  
The Kunnoichi tilted his head as he looked at him. "I hope you don't mind me asking," he said timidly, "but may I enquire as to what happened up there? When Miss. Akane ran out of here, she was crying something awful."  
  
Ranma stopped dead. "Akane?" He looked down at the umbrella, and then back at Konatsu. "Akane was here?"  
  
Konatsu nodded.  
  
A look of horror passed over Ranma's face as he stared down at the umbrella. And then, without another word, he sprinted from the restaurant.

* * *

End of Chapter 3

* * *

**Authors Notes:**  
  
I'm sorry this was a couple of days late—but in my defense, it IS longer than all of my past chapters, (those chapters were around 6-8 pages long, and this was about 13!) so at least I have a great excuse! :D  
  
And I hope none of you saw that coming! I never planned to make it THAT easy for them to be together. ;)  
  
Oh! And don't worry, you'll find out what the Hannya said in Akane's dream in the next chapter, so don't think I threw that in for fun and then completely forgot about it. =)  
  
Confession: For Konatsu, I called him a Kunnoichi. To be honest, I have no idea what that means. I think it means female ninja—or some form of that—but I've always associated it with his name for some reason, so I figure somewhere deep in my mind, I must know what I'm doing. So, until someone e-mails me and says it's only a rare Japanese dessert or something, I guess I'll keep on using that term in my head... lol.  
  
I hope you're enjoying this story so far... Only 1 or 2 chapters left to go! (I might be able to finish it in chapter 5, but I won't know until after it's written...) Of course, when I started this, I thought I could get it done in 3 chapters—so obviously I've never been good at judging this kind of thing...   
  
_Reviewers Comments:_  
  
**Kuno-Baby**: I know, you're right. I intended for that to be the case, but once I started writing that chapter, it just seemed to take an unexpected turn that I hadn't been counting on. And by the time I finished, I didn't have time to go back and make it more urgent. And really, it was just a means of getting to the 3rd day, which is when it really starts to get interesting. So I hope you didn't mind it too much...  
  
**marisha**: Ack! I'm REALLY sorry about your name! I went back and changed it immediately after I read that. This time I got wiser, I relied on cut and paste, instead! I'm glad you're enjoying my story! =)  
  
**InuYashaFan77**: hehe. Thanks!  
  
**Minako-chan4**: I'm really glad you like my story so much! And don't worry, Ranma wouldn't lose her to some evil demon! Or will he... evil laughter  
  
**Livvy22**: hehe. Now that you said that, I'll go out of my way to make sure that doesn't happen. (just kidding.) =)  
  
**avolare**: lol. Don't worry, I'm guilty of the same thing. ;)  
  
**pokey**: Darn, you're on to me! Lol. Well, I try. It's one of the reasons I love Ranma so much. It wouldn't be fun if he said it without a challenge, right?!  
  
**Gwen**: Thanks! I'm really sorry I made you wait—but hopefully you found it worth it!  
  
**RanmaslilAngel**: Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it. I was a little afraid since I agreed with what Kuno-Baby said: I did feel it needed to be a little more urgent... But thanks for liking it how it is. 


	5. The Power Within

**Three Days to Say I Love You**  
By: Angela Jewell  
  
Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?  
  
Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you'll lose and still be broke...  
  
_Reviewers comments are following the Authors Notes..._  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All of you gave me the motivation I needed to write!   
  
And remember:  
Reviews = motivation to write

* * *

**Chapter 5  
** The Power Within

* * *

Akane stopped to rest, breathing heavily. Wiping away the tears, she leaned her head against the fence and closed her eyes. "Ranma, you dummy," she whispered brokenly. The image of him kissing Ukyo played once again in her mind, like a broken record that refused to move on...  
  
And then she remembered the Hannya's words.  
  
The remains of the dream she had tried to push forever out of her mind came back in a rush. Everything had happened as before: Again, she was surrounded in darkness, back at Jusendou. And once again the Oni was there, waiting for her answer. The same familiar questions—the doubts plagued her as she asked for more time...  
  
But there, the similarity ended.  
  
This time around, when she needed to hear him—when she _longed_ to hear him—his voice was there, calling out to her, pleading for her to come back. But midway through, Akane noticed that the voice had slowly begun to change. It grew higher and lighter; and she noticed with alarm that she was no longer listening to her fiancée, but to the familiar voice of the Oni.  
  
_I invaded your mind, Akane,_ the Oni had said, laughing; the cruel, mocking sounds echoed all around her. _What makes you think my ability is limited solely to reading the mind? Do you think I am not able to influence it as well?_ Now, Akane let the words sink in—something she hadn't allowed herself to do earlier that morning; her heart felt heavy with the effort.  
  
What if it was true?  
  
What if she had just imagined Ranma's voice calling out to her? What if everything she had heard—everything she had _felt_ was a lie?  
  
What if the Hannya had the bet rigged from the beginning?  
  
She pulled away from the fence, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.  
  
She needed to find Ranma...

* * *

Ranma ran thru the streets of Nerima, his eyes searching, straining for any sign of his short-haired fiancée. The rain had long since stopped, but even that wasn't enough to cheer him up. He kept the umbrella clutched tightly in his hand, reluctant to let it go. It felt like he had been running forever...  
  
... But still, he refused to stop.  
  
He had to explain it to her—he couldn't let her misunderstand—not this time.  
  
Then he saw her.  
  
A few yards away, leaning against the chain-link fence was Akane.  
  
Right when he was about to call out to her, he stopped. A sudden fear gripped him as he watched her. Even though her eyes were closed, he could tell she looked miserable and heartbroken. Her shoulders were slumped and her head hung down as her back leaned lightly against the fence piping. He was suddenly glad she didn't now the Shishi Höködan; at that moment, it looked like she was depressed enough to level the entire district of Nerima.  
  
And then, just as quickly, her head was rising as she leaned away from the fence and began to walk away.  
  
Ranma hesitated briefly, unsure what to do next. Finding her had been the easy part—explaining to her what had happened, however...  
  
"Akane, wait!"  
  
His fiancée stopped at the sound of his voice. Slowly, nervously, she turned to look at him, and for an instant he could see a flicker of relief on her face as her eyes met his. But it didn't last long. Soon it was replaced by cold indifference; as if she had suddenly remembered she was mad at him.  
  
"Ranma," she said. He could tell she sounded pleased, despite her best efforts to conceal it.  
  
He ran to where she stood and stopped in surprise. He had to force back a sudden wave of guilt at the sight of her. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her hand was quickly wiping away the last traces of wetness on her cheek. "Akane..."  
  
"I was just coming to look for you," she said, carefully averting his gaze.  
  
Ranma could feel his heart tighten in his chest. "Akane," he said again, taking another step towards her. "I know you think you saw something, but I swear nothin' happened. We were just talking, and... I mean, yeah, she kissed me," he admitted, angry at his inability to prevent it, "but I didn't ask her too."  
  
He looked at her hopefully, waiting for her reaction... but none came. She continued to stare at the floor, not meeting his gaze, not saying a word. Why wasn't she yelling at him, or pounding him into the pavement?!  
  
"Come on," he pleaded, "say something—anything. You can even hit me if you wanna."  
  
Finally, Akane lifted her head. "Why didn't you push her away?" she asked. Her eyes were wide and troubled, and he could see the pain that lay just beneath the surface.  
  
"I did," he replied softly, frowning.  
  
"Not right away," she accused. "You were just—just sitting there. You weren't even trying to stop her—"  
  
"Look," he interrupted, choosing his words carefully as he set the umbrella down. "I was really surprised, alright? I didn't have any time to react. I just... panicked, I guess."  
  
Akane laughed bitterly. "Panicked, he says."  
  
Ranma narrowed his eyes. "Yes," he said evenly, trying to keep his anger under control. "And it's not like it's my fault that she kissed me. I didn't ask for it or nothin'...  
  
She turned away, not saying a word.  
  
"Come on, Akane," he pleaded, stepping closer. "I really am sorry it happened."  
  
Nodding her head, she sighed. She knew she shouldn't be making such a big deal out of the kiss, but she just couldn't help herself. The thought of Ranma kissing anyone—especially Ukyo—was just too much to take in, especially now...  
  
And how could she expect him to be in love with her when he would rather spend time with his 'cute' fiancée? Why couldn't he just meet her in the park like she had requested—like she had _needed_ him too?!  
  
Ranma looked at her nervously. "Akane...?"  
  
Slowly, she turned around to face him. "Why did you go to _her_?" she asked at last, no longer able to hide the pain in her voice. "You were supposed to meet _me_."  
  
Ranma looked at the ground guiltily. "Well, it was raining..." he finished lamely.  
  
Akane turned away from him, visibly shaken. It was _raining_?! That was the best excuse he could come up with?! She was so angry—so hurt—she didn't trust herself to speak. She wanted nothing more than to slap the insensitive jerk—  
  
But for once, she couldn't even bring herself to do that.  
  
She felt so tired. Of all the fighting, the arguing, the misunderstandings... things that had become a constant in her life ever since Ranma had arrived in Nerima. But now, with her time running out, those things didn't seem to matter as much any more...  
  
...And out of the corner of her eye, Akane caught a glimpse of her watch—the one she had borrowed from Nabiki so that she could keep track of the time she still had remaining...  
  
And her body grew cold as her eyes focused in on the time.  
  
It was almost up...  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Ranma asked suddenly, turning her around. "Why did you get so pale all of a sudden? Are you okay?"  
  
Akane nodded mutely, as she tried to smile. "I'm fine," she said. "Just tired, I guess."  
  
Ranma continued to watch her, the worry plain on his face. "Do you want to go home? I could carry you..."  
  
Akane quickly shook her head. She definitely didn't want to be home when it happened. She didn't want her family to be there—to worry—to relive what had happened to their mother... "I'll be fine," she told him, trying her hardest to sound reassuring. "But Ranma, can I ask you something?" she questioned.  
  
Ranma shrugged, nodding. "Sure," he said.  
  
Akane took a deep breath as she prepared to say what she needed too: she knew he wasn't going to like it. "At Jusendou," she began quietly, nervously. "Did you—did you say anything to me—anything you can remember?" She looked up at him, her eyes, pleading. "I really need to know," she finished softly.  
  
Ranma lowered his eyes. "I—I can't really remember," he said at last, frowning. Akane felt her heart fall as Ranma continued. "To be honest, most of that day is kind of a blur. I can remember bits and pieces—seeing you disappear when you grabbed the dragon tap, finding out you were alive from the Jusenkyo guide, fighting Shampoo for the water, and—and then Saffron..." he paused, as he breathed deeply. "But once you had closed your eyes, even after I had gotten you the water—when I thought you were dead—" he shuddered at the memory. "I was pretty out of it, Akane."  
  
"I see..." she said, downhearted. So, it couldn't have been Ranma's voice, after all. And that meant that Ranma never...  
  
Akane stopped, unable to complete the thought.  
  
Suddenly, she felt empty, disoriented. How could she have been so wrong? How could she have been fooled so easily?  
  
...And why did she feel like there was a large, gaping hole where her heart used to be?  
  
Akane lifted her eyes to meet Ranma's, and she found herself unable to look away. He was staring back at her, his eyes, questioning. And for a moment, she was almost tempted to tell him everything. About the Hannya, about the promise... but most of all, she longed to tell him that she loved him—that she had always loved him...  
  
Slowly, reluctantly, she looked away.  
  
No matter how much she longed too, she knew she couldn't.  
  
For one thing, it was too risky—too selfish. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with her feelings... or, a part of her feared, die or collapse right in front of him. After all, the Oni's warning was still fresh in her mind.  
  
No, she told herself. She couldn't lose. Not that way.  
  
It took all of her effort just to smile "Why don't you go on ahead," she told him, motioning in the direction of the Tendo Dojo. "I'll be there in a little while."  
  
Ranma looked at her with uncertainly. He wanted to tell her that there was no way in Hell he was gonna just leave her there, but the words, like so many times before, refused to come. He shook his head. "I'll wait with you," he replied.  
  
"No," Akane answered quickly—a little too quickly. The look of fear that had passed briefly through her eyes at his suggestion had not gone unnoticed by Ranma. "Sorry," she said, laughing uncomfortably. "I just really need to be alone right now."  
  
Reluctantly, Ranma nodded his head, sighing. "Okay," he replied, grudgingly. "But don't be too long. It's gonna be dark soon."  
  
Akane nodded in reply.  
  
And then Ranma had turned and was walking away.  
  
Every instinct was screaming at her to go after him—to do anything but stand there and watch him walk away forever... and yet, she was torn and confused, being pushed and pulled in too many different directions, too fast. And she knew she couldn't tell him how she felt, but maybe she could show him in some other way...  
  
...The only thing she knew for certain was that she couldn't let him go just like that.  
  
"Ranma, wait!" she yelled suddenly.  
  
Ranma stopped in surprise as he turned to look back at his fiancée—his fiancée who was walking towards him that very second.  
  
It didn't take Akane long to close the remaining distance that lay between them. He looked at her in confusion, his eyes wide. And then, without a word, she leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
Ranma simply stood there, his arms glued to his sides; his heart racing. His mind was a mess as he tried to decide what the best course of action would be in this situation...  
  
...The thought of pulling away, however, never once crossed his mind.  
  
And then, much too soon, she was pulling away.  
  
Ranma blushed as she looked up at him, smiling sweetly. "I forgot to say thanks," she told him.  
  
Although his face was still red, and his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest, Ranma slowly began to come back to his senses. "Um... th—thanks for what?" he asked.  
  
Akane looked at him in earnest, a faint blush on her cheeks. "For everything," she replied sincerely. Blushing furiously now, Ranma watched as Akane turned her gaze to the ground, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.  
  
He continued to stare at her, unable to tear his eyes away.  
  
When did she become so cute, he wondered?  
  
Akane, for her part, was staring fixedly at the floor, her heart racing. She couldn't believe she had actually done it. She had _kissed_ Ranma! She felt her face growing redder at the thought, and she only prayed he wasn't too angry with her...  
  
...And once again her eyes found their way to her watch.  
  
She felt time come to a screeching halt as she found herself forced back to reality. When she had seen him walking away, she had allowed herself to forget about everything for an instant: but she couldn't do that any longer...  
  
"You should probably get going now," she told him, quietly. "Kasumi should be getting dinner ready, and—and I still have some things to take care of." Her voice trailed off, and his mouth fell open in surprise.  
  
What is _with_ her?! He wondered angrily. First she tells him to leave, then she _kisses_ him, and now she's telling him to leave again?! Ranma groaned in frustration, quickly growing angry.  
  
He would _never_ understand women.  
  
"Fine," he said simply, turning away. "See ya later."  
  
Akane looked up in surprise, astonished by the anger she had heard in his voice. Was he really that angry with her for kissing him?  
  
This time, when he walked away, Akane didn't try to stop him.

* * *

After making it far enough away, Ranma had quickly doubled back, but this time, he took to the rooftops. It hadn't taken him long to find the perfect place where he could watch Akane from a safe distance without fear of being seen.  
  
If she thought he was going to leave her alone after that little performance, she had another thing coming! He knew there was something bothering her... there had to be. Ranma blushed as he remembered the brief kiss they had shared. Akane wouldn't act that way without a good reason, he told himself.  
  
He just _knew_ something big was going to happen: he _sensed_ it. He had felt that way ever since Jusendou...  
  
And he wasn't going to leave the roof until he found out why.  
  
Ranma lay down on his stomach to wait, his eyes never leaving his fiancée.  
  
It wasn't long before his patience paid off.  
  
His battle senses were screaming in warning as he watched a strange woman slowly approach Akane... Of course, that alone hadn't been enough to alert him that something was wrong.  
  
Perhaps it was the fact that the woman had horns on her head... or that she had appeared out of thin air...  
  
Dammit, Akane, he thought angrily as he moved to stand up. What the hell did you get yourself into this time...?

* * *

"I've been waiting for you," Akane said as she turned to face the Oni.  
  
The Hannya smiled, her teeth bared. "Ready to give up already, are we?" she asked.  
  
Akane lost all traces of amusement as she glared angrily at the Hannya. "You tricked me," she deadpanned, her eyes accusing.  
  
The Oni looked at her innocently. "Me?" she asked. Her eyes were shining and there was a hint of a smile on her face. "How so?"  
  
Akane continued to glare at her. "You made me think that he— that he—," she stopped, still having trouble saying the words. The Oni stood before her, silently gloating. And that's when she felt it...  
  
...For the last three days Akane had made a habit of keeping her anger locked away, under control—afraid of losing her temper and fighting with Ranma.  
  
But Ranma, she noted, wasn't here... And she knew that even if he was, she was tired of holding back...  
  
She looked once more at the Oni, who if anything, looked even more superior and condescending than before.  
  
And that's all it took.  
  
Akane felt her hands ball into fists at her sides, and then felt the familiar flow of anger returning, giving her strength. "You made me think that he loved me," she said, her voice dripping venom. "You even used his voice to trick me into agreeing to your bargain."  
  
The Oni smiled coldly as she took a step towards her. "You really shouldn't read so much into dreams, Akane." She told her. "They have a way of... misleading you."  
  
Akane continued to glare at her, not understanding the Hannya's words. Misleading? What did she— her thoughts trailed off as her eyes widened with realization. Akane watched as the Hannya's face slowly broke into a mocking grin.  
  
So it really _had_ been Ranma's voice she'd heard?!  
  
Akane quickly shook her head in confusion, afraid to believe the Hannya's words.  
  
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she took a step back, grabbing a hold of the fence to steady herself. It wasn't long before she felt her anger draining away, only to be replaced with... something else.  
  
The Hannya stepped towards her, her hand outstretched. "I must admit," she said, placing a long, slender finger under Akane's chin so that she was forced to look up at her. "I really didn't think it would be this easy," she said laughing. "You practically handed yourself over on a silver platter."  
  
Akane could barely hear her.  
  
Again. She had been tricked _again_...  
  
And then the Hannya's words finally registered. Hey, wait a minute! Did she just refer to her as easy pray?!  
  
It wasn't long before she felt the familiar stirs of anger... And that's when she heard him.  
  
"Akane, what the HELL is going on here?!"  
  
Even the Hannya turned in surprise as both girls saw a very confused—very angry—pigtailed martial artist standing behind them, his eyes narrowed in fury.  
  
Akane's eyes were wide as she looked at him. When did he...? Her surprise quickly returned to anger as she glared at her fiancée. "Ranma, you idiot!" she yelled, her fists shaking. "I TOLD you to go home!"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like I could leave an uncute chick like you alone," he told her. Akane fumed as he stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
The Hannya turned cold, angry eyes on Ranma. Her horns seemed to grow brightly for an instant. "Leave," she ordered in a voice that left little room for argument. "I have no business with you."  
  
Ranma didn't even flinch as he glared at the Oni. "If ya got business with Akane," he told her, "then you've got business with me."  
  
Akane frowned. Although a part of her was happy to see him, she couldn't ignore the larger, more insistent part of her that was embarrassed and hurt at the fact that she might need his protection after all. "Stay out of this Ranma," she told him. "I can handle this myself."  
  
Ranma crossed his arms against his chest as he turned his full attention on Akane. "As soon as I find out what's going on here, I'll be the judge of that," he told her. Narrowing his eyes once more, he continued to glare at the Hannya. "What do you want with Akane?" he asked again.  
  
"We have an agreement," she told him.  
  
"What kind of agreement?"  
  
The Hannya abruptly turned away from him, not bothering to answer: Her eyes were focused solely on Akane, who, if she could have, would have taken another step back if the fence hadn't been blocking her escape.  
  
Akane froze as a familiar sensation washed over her. The Hannya's eyes were staring intently into hers, and she felt herself falling into their depths. She tried to fight against the sensation, tried to tell herself to keep up the walls, but again, like before, she felt them crumbling under the force of the Oni's power. She tried to pull her eyes away, tried to signal to Ranma for help, but she couldn't look away, no matter how hard she tried.  
  
Ranma glowered, angry at being ignored. What was going on?! They were just staring at each other. He looked at his fiancée again—but this time, he really looked at her. There was something... strange about her eyes. They looked empty, and unfocused. He couldn't see the Oni's face, but he had no doubt that her expression would mirror that of his fiancée's.  
  
"Uh, Akane?" he asked with uncertainty, "Are you okay?"  
  
Akane, for the life of her, couldn't answer.  
  
Ranma watched her nervously. There was definitely something wrong with her, that much was obvious.  
  
And he knew it was the demon's fault.  
  
Without thinking, Ranma shoved the Oni firmly from behind, but just enough to startle it. He normally made it a point not to hit girls, but since the thing standing before him wasn't even human, he decided to make an exception...  
  
The Hannya, enraged, her concentration broken, turned towards Ranma, her eyes black with unleashed anger.  
  
"You okay, Akane?" Ranma repeated. He looked at her worriedly, completely ignoring the Hannya.  
  
Akane nodded her head, her mind, whirling.  
  
She tried to smile reassuringly at him, but before she could properly answer, she was knocked against the fence as a strong wind began to blow around them. Akane watched in amazement as the Oni slowly began to lift herself off the ground.  
  
Her once beautiful, pale face was now contorted and twisted with anger, her eyes burning with rage. Her mouth was curled into an angry snarl, and her horns had grown several inches more. Even a few of her teeth had suddenly grown longer—much too long to be contained within her mouth. Two of her canine teeth now hung over her lips, protruding out.  
  
Akane stood frozen in horror. Now _this_ she recognized.

Suddenly, she felt Ranma's warm hand on her wrist as he quickly pulled her behind him, shielding her from the Oni.  
  
"Hmm, maybe pushing her wasn't the right thing to do," he said off- handedly. "Sure has a tempter though. Kinda reminds me of you." He stuck his tongue out at her as she elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Very funny, Ranma."  
  
The Hannya remained in the air, her hair flying around her. Slowly, she turned her gaze on Akane. "I was hoping you'd tap into your power on your own," she hissed, her voice no longer soft and lilting, but low and gruff. "But," she added, smiling cruelly. "It appears you're going to need a little help. This time you better not interrupt," she said, throwing a threatening glare in Ranma's direction.  
  
Akane felt Ranma's hand on her wrist tighten at the Oni's words...  
  
Then she felt it; the Oni once again was capturing her eyes in her own, drawing her in. It wasn't hard for the Hannya to invade her mind this time: it was already weak and defenseless from her earlier attempt. Unconsciously, Akane squeezed Ranma's hand tightly in her own, as her brain grew foggy and muddled.  
  
She could hear Ranma calling out to her, but her voice felt dry, empty. It was like she was dead again, alone, afraid, and unable to speak. She felt dizzy and confused, and then she heard the voice of the Oni once again in her mind.

* * *

Ranma shook Akane, trying to snap her out of it. But nothing seemed to work.  
  
His fiancée was too far gone.  
  
He wondered why it was so hard to snap her out of it this time. Before, all it had taken was a small shove to the Oni's back, and a lapse in concentration... Ranma's eyes widened with realization.  
  
To snap her out of it, he needed to disrupt the _demon's_ attention—not Akane's.  
  
He looked up to where she was floating, far out of his reach. He considered throwing a Möko Takabisha at her, but a quick glance at Akane made him change his mind. He wasn't sure what the Oni was doing to her, but it looked like some kinda mind control... if he tried to stop her in the middle of it, he knew he might end up hurting Akane instead. It was better not to mess around with someone who was that deeply under...  
  
So Ranma stood waiting, watching his fiancée worriedly, his hand holding tightly to hers.  
  
He'd fix whatever the Hannya did to her _after_ she'd snapped out of it.  
  
And then he'd make the demon pay.

* * *

Once again, Akane found herself trapped in the surrounding darkness, and for one horrifying a minute, she feared that the last three days had all been a dream—that she really _had_ died.  
  
She never thought she'd be so relieved to hear the Oni's voice...  
  
_No one can hear us in here, Akane,_ the Hannya told her, her voice suddenly soft and reassuring—like a mother comforting her child. _Just listen to my voice—concentrate on it alone—and I'll show you all you need to see. _She could feel the Oni in her mind even as she spoke, drifting in and out of memories, twisting them, changing them—she could feel her satisfaction as she worked. _Then, you will have more power than you have ever dreamed of..._  
  
Power... Now, Akane found herself listening intently. She could be powerful again?  
  
She remembered all of the different times she had acquired strength—the super soba, the battle dogi. She had been so powerful then, so strong. Even Shampoo and Ranma hadn't been able to beat her. But in the end, it was always taken away from her...  
  
_Because of Ranma,_ a familiar voice in her mind whispered.  
  
Akane nodded sadly. Yes. Because of Ranma...  
  
_He was jealous of your power,_ the Hannya told her sympathetically. _He wanted you to stay weak and helpless forever, Akane... that's how he controls you: how ALL men try to control us._ She could hear the bitterness in her voice, the disgust as she spoke. _Don't let him fool you, Akane. Men are all the same. You give them everything—and in the end, they betray you._  
  
_You're wrong,_ Akane replied, shaking her head. _Ranma, he's not like that—Ranma's—_  
  
_—The same,_ the Oni replied angrily. _You are nothing but a toy to him, Akane: you mean nothing. Can't you see that? You are one of many, and you always will be._ Akane tried to close her mind to the words, fighting against the Oni's voice. She saw Ranma kissing Shampoo, and then suddenly Shampoo had turned into Ukyo—and once again she was there, watching them from outside the door, her umbrella held in lifeless fingers. Akane shook her head, as she willed the memories away.  
  
He had explained that, she told herself. Ukyo kissed him—he didn't want too. She could hear the Oni laughing in her mind. _What man will admit to cheating,_ she asked her. Again, the memory came at her, but this time, she watched as Ranma made the first move, drawing Ukyo to him as he began to kiss her. _That's not what happened,_ a part of her mind whispered, but then the Oni's voice was there, drowning it out, twisting her mind with her words.  
  
_You saw what you wanted too, Akane,_ the Oni told her sadly. _Do you really think that was the first time Ranma's ever chosen Ukyo over you?_ At those words, a rush of memories came flying at her from every direction—times when Ranma had ganged up with Ukyo to tease her about something: her cooking, her strength, her inaptness as a wife. And then, the people were changing even as the insults stayed the same. Ranma and Nabiki, laughing at her, and then Ranma with Shampoo—she shut her eyes against the onslaught.  
  
Even happy memories turned out the same: she tried to bring to mind memories of Ranma—happy memories—moments the Oni had showed her the first time. But nothing came. Everything she brought to mind, the Oni grabbed and twisted. Ranma, calling her cute after cutting her hair... _He did that to alleviate his guilt,_ the Oni told her, smirking. _He did it so you wouldn't be mad at him. Do you really think he meant it?_  
  
...Sitting on Ranma's lap after he defeated her battle dogi—she remembered everything that had happened before that point, how angry and hurt she had been with him for tricking her—using her. _He was laughing at you all that time,_ said the Hannya. _You never meant anything to him; you were just another challenge..._  
  
To emphasize her point, the Hannya brought to mind every insulting name Ranma had ever called her. Uncute, sexless, unfeminine, violent, clumsy... the words echoed in her head, taunting her. And after awhile, she couldn't help but be pulled in by the Oni's words...  
  
Every memory she tried to recall the Hannya warped and altered, until Akane felt her heart slowly breaking under the force alone. Sadness, however, was quickly replaced by anger as she relived all of the times Ranma had used her—all the times she had tried to help him, only to be betrayed in the end.  
  
And the instances were easy to come by as the Hannya worked her magic; tainting the memories Akane had, up till then, always cherished.  
  
_It's okay to get angry._ The Oni assured her. _After all, he deserves it._ Akane could only nod. Finally she felt like she was seeing things clearly. Every time she had ever hit him, every time she had been tricked, hurt, or humiliated because of Ranma...  
  
Yes. She had a lot of good reasons to be angry.  
  
And the fact that she still loved him, even after all of this, made her all the more furious.  
  
But the Hannya wasn't done yet. _Do you recall all the times you caught him alone with one of his other fiancées?_ Akane burned at the question. She didn't need the Oni to remind her of any of those memories— they were still fresh in her mind—as if every betrayal had happened only yesterday. She had caught Ranma in so many compromising positions—she didn't even have to convince herself that what she was reliving was real. Whether it was in the bath, in his bed, whether he was naked, or they were kissing.  
  
_He was always nicer to them, than he was to you..._  
  
She felt the jealousy completely consume her. She felt all of her sadness, all of the pain and betrayal wash away, only to be consumed and replaced by her sudden, all-encompassing anger.  
  
_That is your power, Akane._ The Hannya told her, smiling a crooked smile. _That is how you can exact your revenge. Embrace it,_ she commanded her. _Use it, and forget everything else—concentrate only on your hatred, your jealousy, your anger.  
_  
And Akane did as she was told.  
  
She opened her eyes to see Ranma staring down at her, his face and eyes filled with worry. She felt her hand held tightly in his, and angrily, she wretched it away. He looked at her, shocked and hurt... and then his eyes grew wide as he noticed the two small horns that had started to protrude out of the top of her head...  
  
And the Oni smiled.

* * *

End of Chapter 5

* * *

**Authors Notes:**  
  
Ooh... Akane's turning into a Hannya! How many of you saw that coming?! (watches in disbelief as every single person raises their hand.) Humph. Liars. And don't worry, the Hannya's plan will be revealed in the next chapter—you've only seen a fraction of it so far! ;)  
  
And I'm sorry this was a couple of days late—I intended to have it done and posted by Sunday—really I did, but alas, I got sick, so it set me back a little... Oh well, the length should more than make up for it!  
  
**Only 1 chapter left to go!** YAH! A story I'm actually going to finish!!!  
  
There may or may not be an epilogue. I might just throw it into the final chapter, depending on how long or important it is, or if I have one at all... I'll decide when I get there, I guess.  
  
Okay, if you couldn't tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma's trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely...  
  
This story is based completely off the manga, so if I referred to any moments that you haven't read yet, or that left you completely confused, then feel free to go to my website and read the MANGA MOMENTS section.  
  
Either way, I hope you're enjoying this story so far!  
  
_Reviewers Comments:_  
  
**UY**: Aww, thanks! I'm really glad you liked it.  
  
**Gwen** : Don't worry, I didn't really feel rushed—In fact, feel free to tell me to hurry up whenever you want—I could use the extra push every now and then. ;)  
  
**pokey**: hehe. He is, isn't he?! Oh well, it's what I love about him. :D  
  
**The Liz**: Don't worry, you'll find out in the next chapter! Lol.  
  
**tabbercat**: Thanks! And here's more!  
  
**Abc**: I'm really glad you find the plot original, and I'm really glad that you like it so far! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!  
  
**avolare**: I hope you didn't mind a little more drama. But really, what would a story be without it, right? ;)  
  
**jade30**: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I left a little cliffhanger for this chapter too, so I hope you enjoyed it!  
  
**elisteran**: Wow, thanks! I'm flattered! Yeah, I wanted to include some of the zaniness from the series, but it just didn't work in with the plot. I've saved that stuff for my other fanfic, The Protector. And thanks for the Kunnoichi information! I thought it was something like that, but it's nice to know for sure!  
  
**Makotojs**: hehe. Thanks for the motivation! It worked! ;)  
  
**Pogo**: I'm glad it's different from the other ones. I haven't read that many after-Jusendou stories, so I was afraid something similar might have been done. Luckily, it hasn't!  
  
**Lady Mokodane**: lol. Let me tell you, it's horrible. I don't know how I sleep at night. Hehe, thanks for the compliment. If anything in this chapter doesn't make sense, I blame it on my sleep-deprived mind as well. ;)  
  
**Ruth**: Thanks! I... think it's accurate. From what I understand, the Hannya was actually a kind of mask used in Noh theatre, to depict a female Oni. It expresses the fury of a woman turned demon through jealousy and anger and who uses her powers to exact revenge by attacking those who wronged her. That's actually where I got the idea to turn Akane into one. After all, her anger is her main characteristic, and I could totally see her becoming one... or at least coming close. ;)  
  
**Luna12**: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Actually, I got this idea from a dream I had—and to be honest, I've always loved The Little Mermaid, so I'm sure sub-consciously that's where I got the 3 day-thing. I was wondering when someone would mention that, though. Hehe. I was REALLY tempted to have the Hannya say, "Before the sun sets on the third day..." But I held back. ;)  
  
**Minako-chan4**: hehe. Thanks! I'm glad you appreciated my sacrifice. Actually, I worked on this one at work too. Lol. I am SOOO going to get fired. Oh well... all for the joy of writing Fan Fiction. And as for the length, it's going to stay short. I really need to get back to my other fanfics: before everyone who has been waiting a year for chapter 8 of THE GAME comes hunting me down... ;)  
  
**marisha**: Thanks! Here's the update you requested! Hope you like it!! :D  
  
**compman44**: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! And thanks for the info about a Kunoichi—I was beginning to think I had made the word up or something.  
  
**bittersweet-memory**: Ahh!! No, no, no! Don't think that way!!! Hmm... maybe I haven't made The Hannya be evil enough. I hope you change your mind after this chapter... although, now that I think about it, I may have hurt my case, rather than helped it. Aw, shoot. Err, wait till the next chapter—I promise he'll redeem himself!!!!  
  
And thanks to everyone else who has been reading--even if you didn't leave a review!

E-mail: (for some reason, it won't let me link it)  
ajewell AT nmu DOT edu (or just go to my website, and e-mail me 


	6. I Love You

**Three Days to Say I Love You  
**By: Angela Jewell

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you'll lose and still be broke.

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!!! Without you, I wouldn't have finished this, so thanks SOOOO much!!!!_

Ooh, and there are a few swear words in this chapter, so don't say I didn't warn you! (At least I think there are, it's 2:30 a.m. so I'm not sure of anything anymore...)

Enjoy and good night!

And remember:  
Reviews = motivation to write

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6  
**I Love You...

**

* * *

**

Ranma stared at Akane, too shocked too speak; she was gazing back just as intently, her face pale, her short hair framing her face as she stared daggers at him. The horns on her head were tiny and barely visible, but he could have sworn the longer she looked at him, the bigger they became...

He had seen her angry before, of course. But this... this time was different. He wasn't sure what to make of it: she had been fine a minute ago.

His uncertainty and confusion, however, didn't last long. Eventually, it all came back to his own anger—something that could be just as dangerous and as powerful as Akane's.

He turned to the Hannya, his eyes narrowed with barely contained fury. "What did you do to her?!"

The demon had long since returned to the ground, and Ranma noticed that her eyes were now open. A sneer came to her face as she addressed him. "What do you mean?" she asked, looking past him to Akane, "She looks perfect to me."

Unconsciously his fists clenched. "Don't give me that crap!" he replied angrily, his voice cold and hard. "Just—whatever you did, undo it!"

The Oni raised a questioning eyebrow as she looked at him; then, her good humor seemed to fade. "It's too late," she told him flatly. "Once a person has embraced their anger and jealousy completely, undoing it becomes impossible. You may try, of course," she added, contemptuously. "But it is futile."

Ranma slowly began to smile. "Sounds like a challenge to me," he told her. Without sparing a second glance, he turned once more to Akane. The anger in her eyes was still there, as was the hatred, and he couldn't help noticing that her horns had grown about half an inch—but he did his best to ignore it as he quickly grabbed a hold of her shoulders, forcing her to face him. He could feel her body growing stiff and rigid at his touch, and she tried to pull out of his grasp several times, but he held her firmly in place.

"Listen to me, Akane," Ranma ordered, his eyes boring into hers. He almost flinched as he saw the rage reflected in those eyes, but he went on regardless. "Look," he began again, "I don't know what she did to you," he explained, nodding towards the Oni, "but this—this _thing_—it _isn't_ you. I mean, sure, you got the whole anger thing working for ya—but let's face it, you're just not cut out to be a demon." He paused as he watched her nervously. And then, leaning forward slightly, he said, "So... stop it. okay?"

Akane's eyes widened at his words, and then ever so slowly, she leaned forward, closing the gap between them. Ranma felt his heart beat faster as she drew closer, and then her lips pursed. "No," she told him softly. And then, before Ranma knew what was happening, he found himself flat on the ground, Akane towering over him.

Okay, he thought. That didn't work...

"Geez," he muttered as he climbed to his feet. "_You're_ as uncute as ever." He could see her lips growing thin at his words, her eyes narrowed in warning. He knew it might not be the smartest approach, but this technique had gotten him out of more than one tough situation with her before...

"To think," he continued, undaunted. "Just when I think you might actually be cute after all, you go and do something tomboyish and violent again! And what's worst, to further prove my point, you go and grow horns!" Shaking his head sadly, Ranma sighed. "Really, Akane," he complained, forcing back a laugh. "You can stop tryin' already. I've never seen a more noncute girl."

Unsurprisingly, Ranma stopped. He could feel it: a hot, searing aura surrounding him, choking him. It didn't take long to find the source: Akane, for no better form of the word, was _fuming_. Her horns had begun to glow, and then before his wide, startled eyes, they grew several inches.

Before he had time to react, he saw the same aura start to wrap itself around Akane, a deep, dark blue—brighter and stronger than he had ever seen it. And then, his fiancée was gathering the energy into her hands, a small ball forming before her. And screaming, she released it straight at him.

"Ranma you jerk!"

The martial artist barely had time to jump out of the way as he saw the ball of energy flying towards him. With a quick jump, he leapt to the top of the fence, right above the attack, watching as it passed harmlessly beneath him—right through the metal fencing he had been standing in front of only moments before. Hopping down, he looked at the smoking, gaping hole that now resided in the very center of the railing. Slowly, he turned to look at Akane.

He couldn't believe what he had just seen! _Akane_ of all people had just managed to turn her battle aura into a weapon! Sure, he had seen his old man and the old freak, and even Mr. Tendo use it on occasion—usually to grow bigger in order to intimidate their opponent—but he had _never_ seen it used as an actual weapon before! It was like gathering something insubstantial—like mists of fog –and then rolling it into a ball! And she hadn't even learned how to manipulate chi yet!

Cautiously, he began to walk towards her, hoping he could calm her down. He felt like an idiot. He should have known insulting her would only make things worst. "Akane," he began awkwardly.

Rapidly she backed away from him. "Don't you dare touch me," she replied, her breathing shallow and labored. "If you do, Ranma, I swear I'll rip your arm off."

Ranma stopped, surprised at the vehemence behind her words. He didn't doubt for a moment that she meant it.

He could hear the Hannya laughing behind him...

Infuriated, he turned on her. "Shut up!" he yelled, glaring. "This is all your fault! Fix it now, or—"Ranma trailed off as he looked long and hard at the Hannya. There was something... different about her. He couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but something about her seemed... well, wrong. Now that he looked at her—_really_ looked at her, he noticed that although she was still pale and white, she didn't seem _quite_ as pale, quite as white—and her eyes—her eyes which had always seemed to be filled with an unquenchable anger and hatred; now seemed less deranged, less... dead.

But the intelligence, the hatred—that was still there—although the hatred seemed to have dimmed significantly.

But it wasn't until he noticed that her demon horns had shrunk considerably, that a warning bell started going off in his head. If he hadn't know any better, he'd think that the Hannya was becoming... well, more human...

He glanced over at Akane and stopped. Her skin had turned even more pale, while her hair, which she had usually kept cut short, had suddenly and inexplicably grown several inches. It flew out around her—caught and carried by an invisible wind.

And he KNEW it hadn't been like that a second ago...

Even her eyes seemed to shine brighter and stronger than before—and the more he looked at her, the more he realized how beautiful she had become. But it was an unnatural beauty.

And then the realization hit him. With a red-hot fury, Ranma turned to look once more at the Oni. She stared back at him, a small smile playing across her face, and then she winked. "Took you long enough," she laughed.

Ranma paled.

That BITCH he thought furiously!

She was turning his fiancée into a Hannya!

It all made sense now: the changes he had sensed in her; what he had been too blind or stupid to take notice of the moment she had opened her eyes...

He couldn't believe he had been so stupid. There had been a _light_ around her for crying out loud! A faint one, true, but it had been there all the same. Even the pink dress she had been wearing had changed. It now seemed to wrap itself around her body, conforming to her figure in all the right places.

Even with the horns, he found it hard to tear his eyes away.

And then he remembered what he'd felt when he had first looked at the demon. The aura, the light—everything that had made the Oni beautiful had all but disappeared as soon as the horns had appeared on his fiancée. Looking at the Hannya now was like looking at a normal human being... which, from the satisfied smile that had slowly begun to appear on the Hannya's face, was exactly what the Oni had been anticipating.

Ranma ignored the demon for the moment and instead turned his attention back on Akane. He needed some answers and he needed them now. He knew if he asked the Hannya he might end up strangling her before he could get all the answers he needed...

"The Oni mentioned an agreement," he said, taking a tentative step closer to his fiancée. "What kind of agreement did you make with her, Akane?"

His fiancée looked at him with dark, untrusting eyes. The closer he came to her, the further back she retreated. "It doesn't matter," she replied, her voice cold. "I'm glad I ran out of time. If I hadn't, I might never have seen what a selfish, lying, two-timing jerk you _really_ are."

Ranma opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. "Aww, come on," he said, allowing a small smile to appear on his face. "You've always known I'm a jerk. What made this time so different?"

"Because," Akane replied lightly, actually smiling. "Now I don't have to bend over backwards to get you to say something meaningless and stupid."

Ranma raised a confused eyebrow. "And what exactly would that be?" he asked.

The smile on her face disappeared as soon as his eyes met hers. She looked almost troubled for a moment, but then she seemed to come to some unspoken decision, and her brow furrowed. "That you love me," she replied softly. "Not that it matters anymore," she added, the anger once again returning.

Ranma stopped as he stared at her. And then blushing, looked away.

He _knew_ she had been acting strange since returning from Jusendou! The wedding, their date, wanting to meet him at the park... it had all been so unlike her. And then he remembered the way she had looked after seeing Ukyo kiss him... he frowned, remembering the hurt and anger in her eyes.

Had she _really_ wanted him to say it? And if she had, another part of him wondered... did that mean that she...? He looked at her again, his eyes searching for any trace of the old Akane—the one he had known _before_ Jusendou—_before_ Saffron.

But all that stared back at him was a cold and undeniable hatred.

"You—you needed me to—" he trailed off, unable to form the words.

Akane smiled at him in disgust. "Don't worry, Ranma," she replied bitterly. "Even if you said it now, it would only make me sick."

Ranma reared back as if he'd been slapped. "H—ha!" he said, his voice strained. "Like I'd ever saw that to a violent, uncute, tomboy like you anyway! I can't believe you were dumb enough to make a bet like that in the first place!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them. Akane, if it was possible, seemed to get even _more_ mad. He saw her horns flash briefly as her eyes glowed with anger. And then a strong wind was sending him flying, the fence behind him, the only thing preventing him from going further. He looked up in surprise, shocked to see Akane staring at him with eyes of ice—the brown of her pupils no longer visible, as she slowly advanced closer.

He stopped, breathing hard, unsure what to do.

There was no way he could hit her.

His fiancée, however, held no such qualms. Her arms were held out before her, re-gathering the wind that had knocked him backwards, preparing for another attack. Ranma stood up, clinging tightly to the fence to keep his balance against any assault she attempted. The attack, however, never came. Moments before Akane could strike, she found herself suddenly frozen in place, unable to move. And then a light seemed to explode from within, enveloping her.

Carefully, Ranma stepped away from the fence, his heart racing, a sudden fear gripping him. His fiancée's body was surrounded by a white, blinding light, and she was staring at him now, her eyes wide with fear. The Oni stood by impassively, calmly watching.

"What the--?" Immediately he turned to the demon, his eyes accusing. "What's going on?" he demanded.

The Hannya stared back, a small smile on her face. "The process is almost complete," she replied, her eyes never leaving Akane.

"Process?" He glanced once more at his fiancée, the worry plain on his face. "What kind of process?"

A look came to the Hannya's eyes. "She's taking my place."

Ranma felt his heart stop. "What—what does that mean?" He was almost afraid to hear the answer...

The Hannya sighed in annoyance. "Must I explain everything?" she asked sharply. "As soon as she becomes a full Hannya, then I am free to pass on." There was a bitterness in her voice, beneath the anger. Her eyes remained locked firmly on Akane as she spoke. "It is the way of all Hannya: Our punishment ends when another takes our place. Your beloved Akane," she explained, smiling. "will share the same fate."

Ranma narrowed his eyes. "No," he replied, his jaw set. "There's no _way_ I'm lettin' that happen."

The Hannya smiled. "Just try and stop it," she said, her voice mocking. "It's too late."

Ranma's face hardened. "We'll see about that," he replied. Slowly, he began to walk towards Akane, his steps sure and confident, despite the turmoil in his heart. The fear was evident on his fiancée's face, but he could still see the anger, the hatred, as her frightened eyes met his.

But his eyes continued to hold hers as he walked closer.

It wasn't long before he was standing just outside the barrier of light. He tried to step thru, but a strong force kept pushing him back, preventing entry. "Listen, Akane," he said softly. "I don't know what that demon said to make ya so angry at me, but it wasn't true! So, just forgive me already so we can go home."

Akane continued to stare at him with open hatred and he watched as her horns flashed several times quickly in succession, before growing once again. He turned to glance worriedly at the Hannya, noticing that her own horns were now small stubs. A feeling of urgency gripped him as he glanced back at his fiancée.

The light around her was glowing brighter as time passed, and for a moment, he could have sworn she was being sucked in from the center. Ranma eyed it critically, searching for a weak spot—a hole—anything that would allow him to break through. He knew he couldn't do anything standing outside, yelling in.

He had to find a way to get inside.

That's when he saw it: A faint point in the light which seemed to dim considerably every time it passed before Akane, a circular weakness rotating around her. If he could just hit that spot at the right moment... Without taking his eyes off the mark, Ranma threw out his hand, watching in satisfaction as it quickly passed through. The hole stopped and conformed to fit his hand, and carefully Ranma pushed the rest of his arm through. His entire arm stung temporarily at the contact, but the pain was minimum. With a sure, confident step, he threw his entire body into the space, breaking through the light.

It felt like pins and needles were driving into him, and he closed his eyes briefly, fighting back the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw Akane staring at him in wonder, but then the anger and hatred had returned, and she scowled.

"What are you doing here?" she told him angrily, her eyes narrowed. The wind around them picked up, and Ranma could barely see her through the blinding light surrounding them.

"Akane..."

"Leave me alone!" she shouted.

Grabbing a hold of her shoulders, Ranma tried to steady himself. His grip tightened as he forced her to look at him. "Dammit, Akane!" he yelled. "SNAP OUT OF IT! Can't you see what's going on here?"

Her eyes seemed to darken at his words, and Ranma sighed in frustration.

"I already told ya not to believe anything that stupid demon told you," he continued, fighting back the urge to shake her, "so why won't you believe me?"He stopped to look intently into her eyes as he felt her stiffen in his arms. "Seriously, Akane," he pleaded. "Just _listen_ to me! Why would I lie?!"

She shook her head angrily as she tried to wretch out of his grip.

His hold on her tightened.

"I know I can be a jerk sometimes," he said, his voice softening as he looked away from her, "and I always seem to make ya mad, but—" he took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. "this ain't like you, Akane," he told her, shaking his head. "I mean, sure, ya get angry a lot... but you rarely ever _stay_ mad. At least, not for long," he corrected. "And do you _really_ think you can keep hating me for hundreds of years...?"

The look she was giving him at that moment, made him believe that she could...

Akane shook her head. "You're wrong," she replied angrily. "I'm an angry, violent tomboy, remember? This _is_ like me."

Ranma frowned. "Geez," he replied, growing frustrated. "I always call ya those things, Akane. Just cause I say it don't mean that I—" he trailed off, blushing. "I mean, yeah, sure, you can be angry and violent sometimes, and you _are_ a tomboy..." he didn't notice the murderous look his fiancée was throwing his way. "But... I guess what I'm trying to say," he told her, frowning. "Is that you've always forgiven me before, so why are you so angry this time?"

"Because," she said through clenched teeth, "you use me, you insult me, you string me along... and like an idiot, I've always just sat back and _took_ it!"

Ranma stared at her in disbelief. "Akane," he said slowly, carefully, his eyes wide. "You've NEVER just 'sat back and took it'. You've hit me; you've yelled at me, you've broken the engagement—and sure, I've deserved it once or twice, but that doesn't explain why you're so angry at me now. And if you think—"

Akane threw a hand over his mouth, cutting him off before he could finish. Her eyes were flashing as she stared at him, and her lips were thin and angry. But he could see the pain and hurt beneath it all, and he felt the light encasing them dim slightly. "That's because I like you, you idiot!" she replied fiercely. "And I've finally realized just how stupid and ridiculous that is." She tore her hand from off of his mouth in disgust. "So if you don't mind, Ranma," she said, spitting his name like it was a bitter taste she had to get out of her mouth. "Leave me ALONE!"

With as much power as she could, she pushed him out of the barrier.

Ranma found himself stumbling back, too surprised and shocked to react. Once more, he found himself flat on the ground, the Hannya's laughter echoing around him.

Angrily, he glared at her.

"I told you it was useless," the Hannya said, shrugging. "Although I am impressed you managed to get through the barrier at all."

Ranma ignored her as he turned his attention back to Akane. She liked him?! His head was spinning at the thought alone... but not for long.

...His fiancée was slowly disappearing before his eyes as she was pulled further into the spiraling light.

This time, Ranma didn't even look for a weak point. Without a second thought, he hurled himself towards the barrier, fighting against the pain as his body connected with the wall. Still, he kept straining against it, waiting to find the weak spot he had used before, his arms, his legs, every part of him fought against the pain, searching. Then, he felt it. It was dim, but penetrable. With a final push of his leg, he forced himself through, grunting with the effort. One eye was closed tightly shut against the blinding light as he tried to focus in on his fiancée, using her image to block out the surrounding, overpowering, glow. There was a darkness in the midst of the light—hidden in the center.

Akane's eyes widened as he grabbed a hold of her arms, pulling himself in the rest of the way. Ranma didn't even give her the chance to speak, as his grip once again tightened. "Ya can't tell me something like that an expect me to just go away," he told her, angrily.

She didn't even bat an eyelash. "It doesn't make a difference," she told him haughtily. "I was an idiot to fall for a stupid, perverted, playboy like you anyway."

"Hey!" he replied, vehemently. "I ain't no playboy an I ain't no pervert either. I didn't ask for Shampoo, Ukyo, or Kodachi to hang all over me, and I sure as hell didn't ask for this damn curse!"

Akane glowered. "Of course not," she replied bitterly. "And I certainly didn't ask for a sex-changing fiancée like you!" His face grew hot at the insult, but he fought back the urge to retaliate. It wasn't long before he noticed that Akane's eyes had slowly begun to close, and he could see her body starting to fade before him as he watched helplessly, powerless to stop it. "No, wait!" he called, desperately, pleading. "I'm sorry! I—I didn't!"

For a moment, he felt her solidify once more in his arms, and he looked down at her in relief. Grabbing her firmly around the waist, Ranma held her in place, afraid to let her go. He couldn't help feeling like he was back at Jusendou—once again holding her dead, limp body in his arms. Everything he had felt at that moment—the fear, the guilt, the pain, the loneliness—returned, more powerful and more terrible than before.

So this is what it felt like, he thought. No wonder I blocked it out...

He had failed to save her then; he wasn't going to fail again.

"I don't care what ya gotta do," he told her quickly, desperately, his eyes boring into hers. Once again he was back at Jusendou, willing her to stay with him, for her eyes to stay open. "Go inside my mind, kick me, hit me, just—just don't—don't go, Akane! Don't leave me!"

In her eyes, he saw something flicker briefly at his words—some memory, some awareness—and he knew if he didn't do something at that moment, he was going to lose her forever...

So leaning down, Ranma kissed her.

Her lips were soft and warm against his, and he could feel his heart racing as their lips touched. It wasn't long before she began to shove against him, trying to push them apart. His grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

Please, Akane, he silently pleaded...

And then, slowly, hesitantly, she began to relax in his arms as she kissed him back. They stood that way for awhile, completely lost in each others arms.

There were so many emotions Ranma was going through at that moment: A very real, terrifying fear that he might lose her for good; anger and guilt that he hadn't been able to save her—that she was in this mess because of him; and disbelief and excitement that she liked him after all: despite his curse, his arrogance, and his other fiancées.

But most of all, was the indescribable happiness he was feeling at that moment as he continued to hold her in his arms, kissing her like he'd longed to do so many times before...

...not that he'd ever admit it.

For once, there were no parents, no fiancées, no rivals to interrupt... It was just him and Akane—lost to the world outside.

If there was a way to convey everything he was feeling for her at that moment, he would have done so without hesitation...

But then, reluctantly, Akane was pulling away.

She looked up at him, startled. He noticed that her horns had shrunk several inches, and the light surrounding them had begun to dim again. "Ranma," she said softly, her eyes wide and confused. "Why did you do that?"

He could hear the underlying hint of anger, but her eyes betrayed her. They were pleading, hopeful... and Ranma felt himself blushing under the force of her gaze.

At that moment, he knew without a doubt how much she meant to him. The thought of living the rest of his life without her was simply impossible: he'd grown too used to being around her, teasing her, saving her. He loved it when they fought, the way her nose would scrunch up when she was angry, or how her eyes would come to life whenever she was happy or excited—but even more so, he loved seeing her smile.

...and he would do anything to see her smiling at him again.

This time, it wasn't hard for him to say the words. "Because," he told her slowly, quietly, "I love you, Akane."

He heard her take a deep, shaky breath, and then he looked away, too embarrassed, too nervous to meet her gaze. His eyes were focused firmly on the ground, his heart pounding...

He could battle demons and monsters and semi-Gods without flinching, but looking his fiancée in the eyes after telling her he loves her, and he fell to pieces... how would she react? He wondered.

His answer came in an unexpected way: he felt the power that had been holding them in place, suddenly disappear, and then they found themselves thrown to the hard, unyielding ground below.

Ranma quickly sat up, unconsciously reaching for Akane as he did so. He felt her lying over him and realized that his arms were still firmly locked around her waist. Like the figure skating tournament of so long ago, he had refused to release her...

She lifted her head to stare at him, and he noticed her horns were gone.

"Akane..."

"Ranma..."

A loud angry cry pierced the air and Ranma quickly climbed to his feet, dragging Akane up with him. With narrowed, alert eyes he scanned the area, searching for any signs of the Oni. If the demon was going to attack, he knew now would be the perfect time to do it.

The attack however, never came.

Moments later, Ranma was staring at the sky in surprise to see the Hannya suspended in the air, her face a twisted mask of fury. Her eyes briefly met his; dark gray orbs of madness meeting cool-gray steel, and Ranma noticed with a start that her horns had returned, now, longer than before.

And surrounding the Oni was the same brilliant white light that only moments before Akane had found herself trapped within.

A warm hand suddenly grasped his, and he turned slightly to see Akane standing next to him, her eyes glued to the sky. "What's happening?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the Hannya's. Ranma allowed his gaze to return to the source of their interest.

"Don't know," he replied, shrugging. He could see the Hannya's lips moving against the radiance of the light, but the words were indiscernible. And then they were watching, spellbound, as the Hannya seemed to be pulled into the dark center, her long black hair wrapping itself around her body as it was sucked into the central void. Angry, narrowed eyes met theirs for an instant—the promise of revenge burning in their depths, and then her eyes closed as she disappeared completely from sight—the light fading along with her.

They stood in stunned silence, neither moving nor speaking, until finally Ranma felt a small tug on his arm and glanced over to see Akane staring shyly at the ground, a blush lighting her face. "Thanks Ranma," she said quietly, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

Ranma gave a small shrug. "Aww, it was nothing," he mumbled lightly. He could feel his face growing hot as he quickly looked away, his eyes glued to the fence, embarrassed.

Akane secretly watched him, a small smile on her face. "Let's go home," she said at last, gently squeezing his hand.

Ranma nodded in agreement, following closely beside her. His eyes strayed down to their intertwined hands; a warm, comforting feeling spreading throughout the length of his body. It was surprising that a small thing like her hand in his could be so natural, so warm.

Akane looked up at him in surprise. "Aren't you going to walk on the fence?" she asked.

Ranma shook his head. "Nah," he replied. "I'm right where I wanna be."

They both were.

* * *

The End

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

Yah! It's done!!

I guess I'm planning on making an epilogue for this... but it'll mostly be about the Hannya. That way I can clear up any questions you might have about the ending, and the rules, and all that fun, boring, technical stuff I couldn't fit in this chapter. And that way I can show you what she's up too—it'll be fun. Trust me! And if it's not, I'll scrap it. ;)

I might throw in a little section about Ranma and Akane as well, but I'm not sure. I kind of like how it ended here, but I guess I'll have to see where my keyboard takes me once I start writing it... :D

If you're satisfied with how this ended though, you don't have to read it. It's mostly for those people who are scratching their head, thinking, "that doesn't make sense. There was a rule against that!" And this way I can prove I actually have legitimate reasons for what happened, and why. (Well, at least **I** think they're legitimate—which is really what counts since I'm the author. MWAHAHAHAHA!)

I really hope you enjoyed this story though! It's the first one I've actually managed to finish, so I am beyond ecstatic!!! Now, I must hurry and finish Chapter 8 of THE FORGOTTEN GAME before some disgruntled readers come looking for me...

But first, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!

I seriously couldn't have gotten this done without your kind words and encouragement. The reviews help more than you know! Well, unless you're a fanfiction writer too... then you probably know.

Well, until next time!

Bye!

* * *


	7. Epilogue: Wanderings and Revelations

**Three Days to Say I Love You  
**By: Angela Jewell

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don't own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you'll lose and still be broke.

And remember:

Reviews=motivation to write!

(Sorry for any mistakes: I do plan on revising this tomorrow after school...)

**

* * *

**

**Epilogue  
**Wandering and Revelations

**

* * *

**

As the Hannya walked through the darkness, nothing stirred.

Of course, if something _had_ stirred, she wouldn't have noticed. Her thoughts were focused on one thing, and one thing only:

Ranma.

She found herself once again cursing the meddler's name. How had he done it? she wondered. How had he managed to reverse a spell that was supposed to be unbreakable? Countered a technique that had been used successfully for thousands of years?

Had he been forewarned in advance? Or had someone secretly been helping him?

No, she told herself firmly with a shake of her head. He hadn't been helped. If he had, she would have felt the other's presence, sensed their interference.

No. There was only one explanation; one person to blame.

Herself.

The admission left her feeling cold and bitter, and the guilt began to slowly seep around her, enveloping her in her own resentment and hatred. She had grown too confident, too comfortable with her abilities—she knew that now. One hundred years of waiting had made her careless. Instead of allowing the bargain to be fulfilled properly, she had allowed herself to approach her prey early, too eager to claim her prize and her consequent freedom.

That had been her vital mistake.

She had been a fool to taunt him, to push him. That one hour had cost her everything. And all because of a stubborn, foolish, love-sick boy!

Shaking with rage, the Hannya paused to take a deep, calming breath. The darkness surrounding her became suffocating, leaving her feeling trapped and enslaved—the way she had felt for the last one hundred years.

Again, the thought came to her, unbidden: She should have done everything in her power to keep Akane away from him for the remaining hour—filled her head with more lies—stretched it to the point where she would kill him the moment she saw him.

The same method the Ancient Oni had used to ensnare _her_...

She snarled at the memory, and her hands flew to her eyes, willing the images away. But again they came, more powerful and more real as ever before. Hiroshi, lying before her, his blood pooling at her feet... his body thrown protectively over Ayami's...

Ayami. Even in death he had protected her.

The hurt and betrayal all came back, and the only thing that made the memories bearable, was the comforting anger that came along with them. No, she convinced herself. She didn't feel bad for killing Hiroshi. She felt a smile return to her face as she remembered Ayami lying dead beneath him.

Yes, his betrayal and death had been the one thing that had condemned her to a life as a Hannya—but once the transformation was complete, and her revenge fulfilled, she found it harder as time went by to wander aimlessly alone in the darkness.

For such was the fate of a Hannya.

With such an ill-fate, however, it was easy to find things to be angry about. And now she had found strength in a new source—strength which would help her get by in her remaining time, until a new source of power could be found, and manipulated, before taking her place.

Ranma and Akane. The two who had cost her the very freedom she had sought and yearned for, all along.

Even now, she could still taste the essence of Akane's fury—the _strength_ that was there. She had been so close, _too_ close... she shook with the unleashed anger, her entire body glowing with the power it radiated. If only she hadn't underestimated them, she berated herself. If she hadn't, then Akane would be here now, wandering in her place.

There would be no freedom for her now, only more wandering, more waiting...

How long would it be this time? she wondered. One hundred years? Two hundred? A thousand?

The Hannya continued walking, her thoughts filled with regrets... and anger. For her, there would always be anger.

And she stopped as she heard a loud, tormented scream, fill the air. And it was several long moments before she realized it was her own.

* * *

Akane glanced nervously at Ranma, her knees curled up to her chin, her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest. "Well," she asked again, leaning forward slightly on her bed. "Did you mean it or didn't you?" She tried her best to keep her voice light and casual, but she could hear the anger, the uncertainty, the underlying fear that had managed to creep into her voice, despite her best efforts to control it. 

It had been a week since the nightmare with the Hannya had ended—a week and it was as if nothing had changed: He still called her uncute; she still called him a pervert. Even Shampoo and Kodachi still came around every once in awhile—Shampoo to stake her claim, and Kodachi— well, who could tell what Kodachi was ever thinking...

She almost found herself doubting the whole thing ever happened.

"Of course I did," Ranma replied quickly as a slight blush spread across his face.

"And...?"

Ranma looked at her in confusion, his eyebrow raised. "And what?" he asked, bemused.

Akane felt her entire face glowing with embarrassment as she quickly looked away, angry that he could be so dense, that he'd make her spell it out for him. "And," she replied hotly, her voice shaking with anger, "do you _still..._?"She looked at him expectantly, her nervousness temporarily overpowered by her irritation.

"Akane..."

He was staring at her, his blue eyes soft and comforting, his face serious and open, and she felt her anger quickly melting away.

Blushing, she stared down at her comforter. She knew she would never be able to tell him if he kept looking at her like that. "Because I know that when you told he the first time, the situation wasn't... well, normal," she continued softly. "And I just wanted to make sure that you actually _meant_ what you said—and that—and that you weren't merely saying it because you felt you had too, or needed too, in order to save me, or—or to beat the Hannya, and..."

"You dummy."

Akane's head jerked up at the insult, and her hands unconsciously grasped the comforter beneath her in tight fists. Angry brown eyes, met laughing blue ones, and then Ranma was leaning forward and flicking her forehead with his finger.

"Of course I meant it," he replied, sticking his tongue out at her. "Who else would be crazy enough to love an uncute, unfeminine girl like you?"

Akane felt her anger quickly drain away.

He said he loved her!

Her heart was beating so strongly in her chest, she was afraid that he might hear it at any moment!

And then... the rest of his words slowly began to sink in, and her heart slowly began to return to normal. "Who cares if I'm not cute and feminine," she told him, hitting him with her pillow. "I know I certainly don't."

Ranma laughed as he sat on the bed next to her, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Sorry about the past week, Akane," he replied at last. "I should've known you'd be worried, but I had so many different things on my mind, I didn't even notice. I didn't mean ta—ya know, make you worry, or doubt what happened-- or anything." He glanced at Akane out of the corner of his eye, and then quickly looked away.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I mean, I still have to think of a way to get Shampoo and Kodachi off my back, and then I was trying to decide whether or not we should tell our pops, or try to keep it a secret for a little longer... and then I was trying ta think of a way to make everything up to Ukyo, while retaining our family honor, and—" Ranma suddenly stopped, surprised to feel a small pair of arms wrapped tightly around his body, and glanced down to see Akane there, leaning against him, holding him tightly.

"I love you too," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ranma smiled despite himself, as he slowly, nervously, moved his arms in an attempt to wrap them around her body as well. And then they were sitting there, wrapped in each other's arms...

After a few moments, Akane reluctantly pulled away. "You know," she told him, "there is one thing about the Bargain that confuses me."

Ranma looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Well, when the Hannya was going through the rules, the amount of time I had was really specific—a moment past the deadline, and she said it was too late. Yet, once I met the Hannya, and—and started _changing_—my time was up. So, how were you still able to release me by saying it—when technically, you shouldn't have been able too?"

Ranma shrugged. "I don't know... lucky, I guess?"

Akane shook her head. "No," she replied. "There must be something I'm missing..."

Ranma laughed. "Well, maybe the bargain-gods didn't know what time it was?"

"Ranma, I'm trying to be serious here," she replied, annoyed.

"Okay, okay," Ranma put his hands up in a submissive gesture, as he slowly backing away. "Well, what time was it when the bargain was made? Did you get the time wrong or something?"

Again, Akane shook her head. "No," she said. "I asked the Jusenkyou Guide what time it was as soon as I could—the time started the moment I woke up in China."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "China, huh?" he asked her. "Well, what watch were you using three days later when your time was up? One from Japan?"

Akane nodded her head. "Yeah. It was Nabiki's watch. So?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Geez, Akane," he sighed. "You really are dense, ain't cha?"

Akane narrowed her eyes. "And just what do you mean by that?" she demanded.

Ranma laughed. "If you were going by the time on Nabiki's watch, then you would have been an hour ahead." He paused to look at Akane, who was staring wide-eyed at the small clock on her desk. "There is an hour time difference between Japan and China, ya know."

Akane laughed sheepishly as she turned back to look at him. "Oh," she replied, turning away from his mocking smile. "Well, if you're so smart, then you must have managed to figure out a solution to every single one of those problems you mentioned earlier," she replied.

Ranma shook his head as he laughed. "Nope," he told her. "Not one."

"Ha! I knew it," Akane sniffed, as she turned away from him.

Ranma moved closer towards her. "But I'm sure between the two of us, we can think of something..."

Slowly, Akane turned around to face him, and smiled in agreement.

No matter what the consequences, she knew they would face them together. After all, they had taken on demons, and princes, and spirits before... a couple love-sick teenagers, and two stubborn parents shouldn't be too hard...

...Right?

* * *

The End

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

Well, there it is in its entirety. And sorry, but there's **_no way_** I'm approaching the whole "get rid of Shampoo, Kodachi, let's tell our parents storylines"—this was just my way to get these stubborn kids to admit their feelings for each other. And since my other stories are going so slow, I was afraid I'd NEVER get to these kind of scenes with them... so this was my way of saying, yes, I will MAKE them say it! {evil laughter}

I'm sorry it took so long to get this Epilogue out! I kept putting this off for some reason, and kept telling myself I'd write it tomorrow, but tomorrow never came...

If I hadn't made a bet with a friend at work that I couldn't finish this epilogue by the time school started, I probably _never_ would have finished it. Hehe. It's 12:33 am, and school literally starts today, but I still beat the cut off!!!! Lucky for you I'm so cheap, and didn't want to part with 10 dollars, huh?! ;)

Anyway, because of the time limit, I haven't had much of a change to really go through this and correct it. I literally sat down and wrote this in a 3 or 4 hour sitting, so I know there are some errors, but I plan on going through this and fixing it up a little tomorrow after school, if I get a chance. Right now... I am SOOOO tired. Must sleep...

And I'm sorry if my explanations are... well... stupid. But they are legitimate reasons, (in my own head), so I don't care how flimsy or unbelievable they are. And I know it's a long shot that Ranma would know about the time difference, while Akane doesn't... but I would chalk it up to the fact that Akane has had more important things on her mind, and while I'm sure she's more than aware of the time difference, I'm going to act like it temporarily slipped her mind. And Ranma can be perceptive when he wants to be... and all the clues were there, so it's not that far-fetched that he'd be able to piece that together.

If you're still not satisfied, pretend this Epilogue doesn't exist, and that Chapter 6 was the ending. This is just FYI anyway. =)

Either way, I hope you've liked this story!!!!


End file.
